Stick with me
by shabaku
Summary: When Sakura chains herself to Deidara to capture him, she finds out that the chains were not to be used on two people. And as no one has the key, Sakura finds herself stuck to Deidara. DeiSaku. Rated M just in case!
1. Hit and go

**Here's my first DeiSaku story on the internet! Please R&R**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter one: Hit-and-go**

Night had fallen over Konoha. Nearly everyone was lying in their beds, warm and comfortable, not paying attention to two Akatsuki members wandering through the deserted streets.

"I guess we should hurry up, hmm," Deidara said, burying his hand in the clay bag attached to his back. "The Jinchuuriki is said to live in this apartment building, but the lights are still on." He glanced at Tobi walking behind him. "What do you think? Should we just 'grant ourselves access', hmm?"

"How do you mean, sempai? By blowing up the front door? Isn't that a bit obvious?"

Deidara smacked Tobi on the head. "You just ruined my bad-guy speech!" he roared and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Of course we're not getting in with my explosions, hmm. That would defiantly draw too much attention. No, what I'm talking about is that we pick the lock and surprise the Jinchuuriki, hmm. How does that sound?"

Tobi shrugged. "Tobi likes the thing with the explosions better."

"TOBI!!" Deidara smacked him on the head again, making Tobi yelp of surprise. "Not nice of sempai," he pouted while he got himself in a safe distance from Deidara's killing fists. Deidara panted of rage and then started to climb up the iron stairs that led to the Jinchuuriki apartment. Tobi followed him in a few feet, careful not to get too close.

Deidara leaned over the lock and studied it for a while. When he got up Tobi looked at him. "Can sempai pick the lock?" he asked, tilting his head to one side a bit. Deidara sighed. "Of course I can, hmm. This lock is old and rusty."

He bowed forwards and for a weird reason, started to dig his hands into his hair, obviously searching for something. Suddenly he pulled one of his hands back down to examine a hair pin he just found in his hair. Tobi stepped back a couple of feet, a bit disgusted.

"Too small… where the hell did I leave that larger one…" Deidara mumbled as he searched through his blonde hair. After a while he found one that seemed to fit the larger description and put it in the lock, carefully pressing several buttons to unlock it. It took him less than two minutes to pick the lock and he opened the door, placing a finger in front of his lip to make Tobi silent.

He stepped inside and made his way through the small corridor, which ended in three identical doors. Deidara stopped and looked at them. _Eeny, meeny miny, mo, _he thought while pointing to the doors separately. _If I chose you, you'll have to go. _He grinned as the door to his right fell off. Two more to go.

_Eeny, meeny, min- __ACK! _Tobi pushed him from behind and Deidara stumbled forwards, catching himself just in time and thus didn't make any noise. He gave Tobi a death glare.

"What was **that **good for?" he hissed at Tobi while rubbing his back. Tobi didn't respond but pointed at the floor, just in front of the left door. Deidara followed his finger and saw a stroke of light coming out from behind it. _Crap. He's right, hmm. _He nodded at Tobi and sneaked towards the door.

"Okay, here's the plan," he whispered. "You open the door, I get in and throw some of my low-sound explosives. If we're lucky the Jinchuuriki gets hit and passes out, if we're not that lucky than the smoke will give you enough cover to make him faint, hmm. Agree?"

Tobi nodded. "Then here we go, one… two… three… _go!" _

Tobi threw open the door and, as planned, Deidara threw in some of his clay bugs which exploded with a soft poof but damaged the room heavily. He heard a yell of surprise and gestured to Tobi with a small jerk of his head. Tobi got the hint and jumped inside, kunai held in front of him. He disappeared in the thick smoke and Deidara went in the room as well, checking if no one had noticed the small explosions from before.

Again he heard some muffled sounds coming from a left corner, making him believe that the Jinchuuriki was putting up a fight and he sighed as he jumped in to help Tobi. He leapt in between the two men and ducked when the Jinchuuriki punched at Tobi, to jump up and hit the Jinchuuriki under his chin, smacking him upwards. He felt Tobi's foot on his back and knew what he was going to do. To help his action he quickly sank through his knees and Tobi jumped up from his back, throwing himself on the Jinchuuriki, bringing him down to the floor.

Then Deidara noticed someone else in the room. He spun around at the spot and merely dodged a fierce fist coming at him. The fist connected with his lower right arm and, what shocked him, broke his bone and sent him flying into the wall hard. He gasped for air while he fell on his feet and grinded his teeth on each other to dispel the pain.

The smoke was still too thick to make out clearly how the person he fought against looked like, but he did notice that he was smaller than himself. "Tobi," he yelled, keeping his focus on the enemy. "Have you got him?"

"Yeah!! You okay?!"

Deidara concluded that Tobi and the Jinchuuriki were in the left far corner of the room, and that he was probably just a few feet away from him. "There's someone else here, hmm," he yelled back, a plan starting to form himself in his head. "Don't make any unsuspected moves, I'm going on C-3 low-sound!"

He put his left hand in his clay bag and let his hand mouths eat some clay quickly. Then his enemy leapt at him and he realized that another one of those fierce blows would mean the end of the battle. He ducked and the fist that was aimed for his face missed its target by inches. After that he kneaded the clay that his hands had prepared and infused his chakra with it.

"Here I go! Art is a **blast**!" and he stuck a couple of clay orbs to the enemy. After that he ran towards where he thought Tobi was and yelled: "Tobi! Take the Jinchuuriki and get out of here, hmm!!" and he jumped against the window, scattering the glass and falling into the air. He heard wooshing sounds and decided that it was probably Tobi jumping behind him.

He landed on the ground and pain shot through his right arm, what made him curse slightly. He didn't hesitate but looked around once to see Tobi land on the street as well, carrying the knocked out Jinchuuriki on his back. He made the handsign and then looked at the apartment. "KATSU!!!"

An enormous explosion ripped the apartment out of each other, scattering debris over a large area and probably waking up a lot of people in the city. They started running to find a way out of the city. "Sorry about the blast, hmm," Deidara yelled at Tobi who followed him at a couple of feet. "I didn't have enough time to make it low-sound!"

To his surprise, Tobi merely shrugged and didn't respond, and Deidara gave him a puzzled look. "What's wrong with you, Tobi?" he asked, dodging some flying kunai which had been thrown by the guards of the gateway. Without even thinking he flicked his hand and spread several clay bombs, attaching themselves to the gateway and then exploded, destroying the enormous gate but letting through the two Akatsuki members. "Normally you always have something to say about what I do, hmm!"

Suddenly Deidara froze in mid-air as he started to suspect what was going on. Hadn't Itachi said something about the Jinchuuriki being the "number one surprise ninja"? He glared at Tobi suspiciously. "Are you okay, Tobi, hmm?" he asked while he slowed his pace down. They were reaching the forest and he wanted to be sure that it was indeed Tobi he was traveling with, and not the Jinchuuriki.

Tobi looked at him for a second and then nodded his head, but still said nothing. Looking forwards again, Deidara cursed inwardly and he sighed, closing his eyes. _I guess it can't be helped, hmm. _

Then he turned while jumping up to a tree, facing Tobi. "Stop playing games with me like I'm a child, damn it!" And he leapt at Tobi. The boy didn't respond fast enough and Deidara hit his face with his fist, smacking him down to the ground. The impact wasn't hard but tough enough for Tobi to drop the Jinchuuriki. When the dust cloud cleared away Deidara saw what he had already suspected; the blonde Jinchuuriki sat on the ground, one hand carefully touching his cheek while the other one had been clenched to a fist. Tobi lay a few feet away from him.

Deidara smirked when he saw the angry glare the Jinchuuriki gave him. "Thought you could fool me, didn't you, hmm?" he laughed. "You moron. Oh, did I anger you? What a shame, hmm. I bet you can't control that little beastie inside of you. That's good." The grin on his lips widened. "That'll make things _so _much easier for me, hmm."

"Don't you even **care **for your partner?!" the Jinchuuriki blurted, getting up from the floor, both hands clenched to fists and whole body trembling. "I could kill him, you know. Right here, right **now**." And to strengthen his words, he got out a kunai and pulled Tobi's unconscious body towards him, holding the metal to his throat. He gave Deidara a threatening glare.

"Oh. I see." Deidara sighed. "Go ahead. I don't give a damn about that piece of shit, hmm. Better for him, better for me."

This seemed to anger the blonde ninja even more. "How can you just say that?!" he roared, dropping Tobi to the floor. "HOW CAN YOU JUST _SAY _THAT!! _HOW??!" _

Deidara laughed, even harder than he did just now. "How I can say that, hmm? By just doing so. That moron means nothing to me." He carefully slid his left, unharmed arm into his clay bag, watching the Jinchuuriki, and continued speaking. "Teamwork is useless. I prefer working on my own, hmm." He grinned as he said so. "If I work together with people, in some weird way, I always end up blowing them to pieces, hmm. Mostly I don't like my partners anyway."

The Jinchuuriki let out a roar of rage and pointed a finger at Deidara. "You're gonna _**pay**_ for what you did to Sakura-chan! I'LL _MAKE _YOU!" And then chakra started leaking out every part of his body, like a protecting shield. Deidara's eye widened for a moment before he stepped back a little bit. _That's the Kyuubi's chakra, _he thought while he looked at the crimson colored chakra, wrapping itself around the Jinchuuriki's body. _I didn't think he would use the Kyuubi that fast, hmm… but for every problem there's a solution… _

He smirked at a very frustrated Jinchuuriki and then felt that he was done with molding his clay. "How about bringing some _life _to this party, hmm?" he asked while jumping up from the branch he had been standing on. From the corner of his eye he saw how a tiny army of clay ants had reached Tobi's body and were starting to carry him away at a very high speed. He grinned. "Boom!!" and he threw several clay kunai at the Jinchuuriki. To his satisfaction he saw them burying themselves into the ground around the Jinchuuriki, and one even dug itself into the ninja's left foot. "KATSU!!"

A flash of light, followed by an enormous shockwave and rumbling sound rolled over Deidara, forcing the ninja to jump back to find shelter. When the rumbling stopped he looked around the tree.

_Holy fuck. _

The Jinchuuriki stood in the middle of a very large crater, panting heavily and looking at Deidara while giving him a death glare. Deidara gulped as he saw the crimson color of the Jinchuuriki's irises, not even to mention the strange colored chakra which had been wrapped all around his body. He noticed that the chakra had taken shape of the Kyuubi and then counted the tails.

_Three… this is bad, very, very bad, hmm._

Then a voice rang out from between the trees and both Deidara and the Jinchuuriki looked around, seeing a woman running towards the crater. She had pink hair and wore a red top without sleeves, even as a short skirt with pants beneath it. She looked pretty damaged and Deidara noticed a large burn wound on the left side of her face. His gaze went further and he saw that her entire left side had been terribly burnt. Suddenly he got the chilly feeling like he knew who this was.

"Naruto! Naruto, stop it! It's not worth it, please stop now you can!" She stopped a few feet away from the Jinchuuriki and then gave Deidara a death glare. "And you," she hissed. "I'm not completely done with you. Let me make that clear."

Then the crimson charka slowly started to retreat into the boy's body. Deidara grinned. "I'd like to stay a little longer and enjoy the show," he said while stepping back a few steps. "But I think it's about time for me to choose my exit, hmm." He checked where Tobi's body was and when he found it he quickly made up his plan.

He had no time to complete it.

Suddenly from all around him, shadow clones of the Jinchuuriki appeared out of nowhere, leaping at him, all with fists above their heads, ready to charge. _What the heck?! Where did those come from, hmm?! _Deidara thought while he tried to cover his body to dodge the attacks. But his right arm didn't respond and with an angry howl the clones covered him. He got punched everywhere, every single spot on his body. Nothing was skipped. The last one hit him full in the abdominal area and that caused him to stumble back, coughing up blood. He tried to mold clay but felt that now both his arms were broken and he gave the Jinchuuriki a terrified look.

"Naruto! Don't kill him! He might be of use," yelled the pink haired kunoichi suddenly and the Jinchuuriki glanced at her. "We need to find out where their headquarters is… if you kill him we might never find out." This seemed to make sense – even to the slightly dumb Jinchuuriki – and he nodded. Deidara crunched his teeth in frustration, knowing that he couldn't do a thing but hope that they wouldn't torture him on the way to Konohagakure, or that they would suddenly change plans. He closed his eye trying to ban the pain but it was futile; he quickly noticed that several ribs and his left kneecap were broken too, and he had trouble breathing. Suddenly he sank through his knees and fell back on the floor, glaring at the two ninja.

"Sakura, Tsunade-baachan gave this to me for in case we found a member," the Jinchuuriki said to the kunoichi, digging in his backpack. The kunoichi walked towards him and – to Deidara's surprise – started to help him search. The fact that they totally seemed to have forgotten him made Deidara furious. "OY! I'm still here you know, hmm!" he blurted, scowling at the two ninja who both looked up.

"Found it! Here, look," and the Jinchuuriki got a pair of chains out of the backpack. They seemed rather strange as they were made from glass or plastic and you could see right through them. The kunoichi took them from the Jinchuuriki and stared at them for a moment. _Strange… it's just like I've seen these before… but where?_

The Jinchuuriki gave her a puzzled look. "And what now? Should we just chain his arms?"

The kunoichi shook her head. "He won't be able to use his arms anyway. I think it's better to lock him to one of us, for the time being. Then we can remove them as soon as we've arrived in Konoha." She took the chains from the Jinchuuriki. "the question is – who will lock himself to that moron?"

Deidara meanwhile got more and more pissed off. First there was the fact that he couldn't find Tobi anymore, second was the fact that he got beaten by a screaming idiot and third was the fact that they were both talking about him like he wasn't there. If there was one thing Deidara hated most, then it was being neglected.

"Let's play rock paper scissors," the Jinchuuriki suddenly suggested. "Kakashi sensei always does that when he needs to decide something annoying. Let's give it a shot. Rock… Paper… **Scissors!**"

Sakura sighed as she noticed having rock, and Naruto had paper. "Seems like I need to lock myself to him," she sighed. "I guess it'll be better if you go ahead and warn Tsunade-sama. I'll be there soon."

"Are you sure, Sakura-chan? I could stay with you while we go to Konoha. That might be safer."

The kunoichi shook her head. "I'm positive about it. Tsunade-sama needs to know about this as soon as possible, especially because the two of us are missing after a large explosion in the center of town." She gave the Jinchuuriki a threatening glare. "You know what happens if she finds out that she sent out a large rescue team while you were just fine."

The Jinchuuriki gulped and nodded his head quickly. "I don't like the idea, Sakura-chan, but I'll go. I'll have a small team coming to you as fast as possible, okay?" The kunoichi nodded. "Okay. Now, go!"

The Jinchuuriki disappeared with a soft thump and then there was just the kunoichi and Deidara left. She smirked at him. "Well, mister art," she said while walking up to him. "If I were you, I wouldn't make any sudden moves, nor would I try to escape." She put the chains around their wrists after grabbing Deidara's right lower arm – very painful. Before she closed them she gave him a warning look. "I'll heal some of the larger injuries in you body, just so you'll be able to walk, since I have no intentions in carrying you all the way. Don't mess things up, understood?"

Deidara nodded and the kunoichi sighed. "okay. Here we go." And she closed the chains with a dry click. For a moment nothing happened. They just stared at the chains, waiting for something to happen.

Then all of a sudden the glass started to glow. The Kunoichi yelped and Deidara gulped as he saw how the glass around their wrists started to _melt _and attached itself to their skin, binding them together. Then weird, indescribable feelings rushed through their bodies and the both gasped as they started to notice that their chakra was mixed together.

_Crap. This isn't just a normal chain, _Sakura thought as she started to feel pain through the chains as well. _Hold on a sec – aren't these the ones Tsunade-sama told me about…?_

_-Flashback-_

"_Ah, Sakura. You've made it in time. Take a seat, I want to tell you something important before you go on you new mission."_

_Sakura sat down in front of the hokage desk. "Sure, Tsunade-sama. What is it?" _

"_It concerns a special pair of chains that I found in the cupboard of this desk lately," Tsunade muttered while digging through a huge pile of paper, pens and other rubbish. "It seemed rather weird to me but after reading through a couple of books… Ah! Found it!" _

_She held a pair of glass chains in her hand. They glistered in the sunlight and Sakura leaned forwards a bit to examine them better. "They look weak," she said. "glass can't be strong enough." _

_Tsunade chuckled. "This isn't glass, Sakura. This is chakra-stone." She looked at the chains. "perhaps you know of the necklace that Naruto wears?" when Sakura nodded she continued. "This is the same material, just in another color. Just as the necklace Naruto wears, this stone has special abilities. I didn't know any of them until I read through this book, called "Chakra Stones"…" _

_Sakura coughed casually. Tsunade raised an eyebrow but continued._

"_This stone melts itself to the skin of the user and forms a chain of the chakra system. If you chain a thief or a murderer with this, you can simply suck all their chakra out of them through the chains and they wont be able to stop you." _

_Sakura nodded. "Sounds handy." _

"_It is. There's only one condition to these things, though." _

_Sakura raised an eyebrow. "And that is…?"_

"…_Never use it on two people. That's what it said in the book. I'm not quite sure about what might happen but the book firmly says not to. Here, on this page: "Never use the Glass Chains to lock someone to another person. High risk of death or other displeasant casualties." That seems clear to me." _

_-End flashback-_

She looked at Deidara, shocked, and he looked back with an expression in his eyes that was closest to total panic. Then more and more pain came welling up through her arm and Sakura screamed when sharp pain shot through her both arms. Deidara meanwhile still sat on the floor but was trembling heavily.

Then Sakura fell on the floor as well, panting. "Shit," she muttered while it became black in front of her eyes. "So not good."

Then black spots appeared in front of their eyes and they both started to feel dizzy and unstable. Before they could help themselves they both fell over, landing on the muddy floor. Unconscious.

* * *

**Forgot to mention earlier: I don't own Naruto**


	2. Naruto I'll kill you!

**And here you go! Chapter two! I'll upload two more today and then the rest will follow tomorrow. I've nearly finished it :)

* * *

**

**Chapter two: Naruto – I'll KILL YOU!!**

Where was she?

It was the first thing that flashed through her mind as she woke up. Her vision was blurry and unsteady, and her body was trembling like she was ill. She closed her eyes again and decided to wake up completely first before undertaking some action.

She noticed lying, on her back, on a cold, hard and muddy surface, and her left hip and left shoulder hurt very badly, like a burning sensation. She slowly realized that that sensation came from several severe burns, spread all over her skin, and without thinking she started sending chakra to the spots to start healing them. But her chakra didn't react like it used to. She noticed traces of other chakra – unfamiliar chakra – between her own and wondered how it got there.

_Wait…! The chains! _

Totally awake now she got up half, stroking her pink hair out of her vision. She quickly noticed Deidara lying on the floor, eyes still closed and body still. Next she saw how the chains still connected her to Deidara's wrist and she shivered as she slowly started to feel pain coming through the chakra gateway. _Damn it, he's really badly damaged, _she thought while she considered waking him up. _That tajuu kage bunshin attack of Naruto's is powerful. He shouldn't use that on future hostiles anymore. _

Sharp pain forced her to gasp and when she coughed she noticed blood leaking out of the corner of her mouth. _Fuck. This chain obviously doesn't only connect our chakra systems. It seems like… ah… _she collapsed half as the pain became worse and worse. _It seems like our nerve systems and organs are connected as well…! _

She forced herself to get up again and then put her trembling hands on Deidara's chest. She felt his heartbeat under her fingers, but she also noticed that it was weak and, on top of that, very irregular. She panted and took a deep breath, and then started healing the largest injuries she could find. As she progressed in the jutsu she got more and more wondered.

Several internal bleedings, heavy bruises and broken bones and a heavily damaged right lung… it can be called a miracle that this guy is still alive. She glanced at his face and noticed that it was pale and sweaty. Perhaps he's still alive because of the chakra we exchanged before we collapsed. Perhaps I've kept him alive the last… uh… hour?

Suddenly her vision became blurry and she was forced to stop the healing. She had to grasp the floor and panted heavily now, wondering how it could be that her chakra level was so low, until she realized that she might have already used it the moment they got connected. Healing had gotten so common that she often used her chakra to heal injuries without knowing it.

Then Deidara's body twitched and he opened his eyes and blinked several time. Then he moaned and closed them again. Without looking at her he started to speak.

"What the hell is this with these chains, hmm?" he asked, his voice sounding rusty. "I bet it's something typical for you Konoha ninjas, hmm. I've always thought that you enjoyed torturing people, although I had never suspected that from a girl like you."

This angered Sakura. "What are you talking about! Do you honestly think that I did this on purpose? Have you already looked at you condition, heck, or mine?" She panted again but found enough strength to grab his collar and pull him up so that she looked right at his still closed eyes. "Look at me, you bastard!" she yelled and she increased her grip.

Very, very slowly, he opened his right eye and then started to examine her. "Again. I'd never expected this from a Konoha girl like you, hmm." Sakura trembled from frustration. "You're a pussy, you know that, hmm?"

Sakura's eye twitched and then without hesitating, she hit him full on the cheek, smacking him right to the floor. He moaned as he got up slowly and he touched his painful cheek. "That's what I mean, hmm. Not even enough courage to finish me."

"Have you even considered that I need you to stay alive for the time being?" Sakura asked, unable to cover the annoyed and angry tone in her voice. "You have got no idea of how much I'd like to grab a kunai and kill you."

He chuckled and then started to laugh – not a nice or honest laugh, but a mean and humiliating laugh. "Really, hmm?"

"Yeah, **really!!**" She sighed and then started to heal her burns a little with her remaining chakra, trying to pay no attention to Deidara anymore. It was very hard though.

"And what are you gonna do now, huh? Are you just going to sit here and act like a pussy, hmm? Or maybe you're going to kill me after all, and then tell you chief that I died on the way to Konoha… oh, but that's impossible, hmm. I've heard you're the best medic after that Hokage of yours so telling them that I died from injuries would be quite fake, hmm. In that case you could tell them that I killed myself. Could be an option, hmm. What a pity that I've got no kunai. Perhaps I can lend one of yours? Could that-"

"PLEASE **SHUT UP!!!" **

Sakura panted of anger now and stood from the floor so fast that she pulled Deidara with her. "I've healed your arms far enough for you not to feel pain anymore. There's only one thing I need to tell you before we go to Konoha. It concerns these chains."

Deidara raised an eyebrow. "And why would I listen to you?"

"You've got a big mouth for someone who was nearly dead for just minutes ago," she snapped at him, annoyed. "You've got some stamina, staying awake with such severe wounds like the ones you've got at the moment, but I can assure you that if you continue acting like this, you'll probably pass out."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Right."

Sakura started walking. Deidara didn't though and she was forced to stop as she nearly tore off her left arm. "Please don't make me use force to get you with me."

"You were going to tell me something, weren't you, hmm? I'm still waiting."

Sakura sighed and clenched her fist in frustration. Count to ten, Sakura… keep control…

"That's right, I was. But if I remember correctly I just heard you saying that you didn't want to hear," she snapped at him, her voice sounding very frustrated. He smirked at her.

"I never said that I didn't want to hear it. I just said that I perhaps wouldn't listen to you, hmm. That's entirely different."

Sakura roared of anger and then pulled her left arm backwards, tugging Deidara towards her. Not prepared for the sudden movement, Deidara stumbled forwards and nearly tripped over his own feet. Sakura caught him and then threw him over her shoulder, not paying attention to his screams and yells and thumping fists on her back.

"I warned you," she said while she started tree jumping towards Konoha. They were going to be late and she wanted to get closer to Konoha to be sure that the tracking team would find her. "I would use force if necessary." She heard him sniff.

"Force. Really, hmm."

She pinched a tiny amount of skin on his ankle and felt him twitch. A sophisticated smirk appeared on her face but disappeared immediately after that as she felt like someone was pinching her ankle as well. She had forgotten about the link.

"I'm going to tell you what I wanted to tell you even if you wont listen," she started, jumping to another tree. "Because it involves both you and me."

He snorted and sneered: "interesting, hmm."

"you bet it is! You see, these chains are not normal ones…"

"Well, that I'd figured out by now, hmm!"

Sakura closed her eyes. "…these are made from chakra stone and are originally not made for use on two people. In fact…" she shivered. "in most cases the ones who tried it died. We've been terribly lucky."

"Wait a sec, hmm." Deidara hammered her back harder and she stopped, putting him to his feet. He seemed glad to be a bit more on himself. "You're saying that that crazy chain thing of yours could have killed us, hmm?"

Sakura nodded. "I wasn't aware of that fact until… well, it was too late. What I wanted to say is that because of this chain, we're kind of connected. At least physically. I don't know about the mental side but I don't think so as I haven't been able to hear what you've been thinking."

Deidara snorted. "Better too. But does that physical connection mean that any damage done to you is automatically done to me as well, hmm?"

Sakura nodded, surprised by his quick understanding. He's not like Naruto just because he has got blonde hair as well, she thought and she slapped herself inwardly. He's a S-rank criminal and member of the Akatsuki! Of course he's clever!

Deidara sighed. "Fuck."

Sakura smiled weakly. "tell me about it."

"And where were you bringing me, hmm?" the question came from Deidara after a short silence. Sakura looked up at him and stroke some pink bangs behind her ear. She planted her feet out of each other a bit and prepared for the worst. "I'm bringing you to Konoha."

As expected, this wasn't exactly the answer Deidara had hoped for. In fact, his face suddenly turned a high shade of red and his eyebrows nearly touched each other. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and shook his head firmly. "Forget it. I'm not going anywhere, hmm. Especially not that shitty hidden village of yours. Have you gone insane, hmm?"

Sakura's eyes became merely slits as she glared at him intensively. "What else had you expected? That I went with you to your Akatsuki hideout or something?"

He rolled his eyes. "Give me a break. Of course not."

"Then don't act like your stupid and walk on. Or I'll have to carry you again," she threatened, clenching her free fist. He seemed rather amused by her threaten and smirked at her, shaking his head. "What's so funny?" Sakura asked, her voice suddenly raising of anger that she couldn't control.

"Who said anything about you…" He stepped forwards until his nose nearly touched her forehead, and Sakura withstood the urge to step backwards a bit and looked him right in the eye. "Carrying…" He bowed and now looked at her eye to eye. "Me?"

Suddenly everything became clear to Sakura and she started stepping back but she was too late. With one swift movement the Akatsuki member wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her in the air, applying a rather large amount of force to her slim figure. Then he started tree jumping to exactly the opposite direction of where Sakura had been going, as could've been suspected. Sakura's chained arm had to make a rather uncomfortable angle to stay attached to Deidara's wrist and she was unable to move. She cursed inwardly as she concluded that there was no escaping this.

She was thrown over Deidara's right shoulder, and Deidara's chained right arm held her on the spot firmly. Due to this, the bones in her left arm nearly snapped and her muscles yelled of pressure. Any movement, it didn't matter how tiny, caused her left shoulder to move and thus her left arm too. And she knew that even the smallest amount of movement could break her arm. Next to that, moving could also result in lifting the bone of her left upper arm out of her shoulder.

"Put me down!!"

"Forget it."

"…You're a shithead, you know that?"

"Sure."

Sakura roared out of anger. "If you don't put me down right **now **then I'm going to break my arm on purpose!!"

This slowed him down a bit but he didn't stop. "You go ahead, hmm," he whispered darkly. "I've handled some worse injuries than a broken arm. Plus…" he chuckled. "I'm holding you with my right. The only arm that you could break easily is your left."

Sakura clenched her teeth together and then decided that she had no other choice. She closed her eyes and then started to struggle as hard as she could. Heavy pain shot through her arm into her entire body as she stained her muscles to the limit, and she also hammered her head on his back to increase the pain towards him. She felt his body twitch and she gasped for breath as the pain became too heavy for her to move.

"Would you **please **stop, hmm?" Deidara asked panting as he jumped down from the trees to the surface. "You're driving me nuts." And he threw her off his back on the floor, her back colliding with the dried-up mud hard. She got to her feet quickly and rubbed her left arm as it still hurt. To her satisfaction, he was rubbing his left arm as well, a deep frown etched in his face.

"We're going to Konoha," Sakura hissed, clenching her free fist again and sending chakra into her muscles for preparation. They had gotten far off their original course and had maybe even passed the large crater in the forest. He could jump a lot faster than she could. "And if you don't want to, then we'll wait here and then the tracking team will find us eventually."

Deidara scowled at her and then stepped up towards her again, but this time she felt sharp pain coming from her abs when he took a step, and before she could stop herself she fell to the floor just as he, both grabbing their stomachs. "You idiot," Sakura hissed between her clenched teeth. "You're going to get the both of us… killed… if you go on like this…"

"Like I care, hmm…!" Deidara snapped at her, getting up half but falling down after that immediately. "Fuck… those wounds opened again. Tell that crazy Jinchuuriki friend of yours that he's a real idiot, using such a jutsu on a hostage like me, hmm."

Sakura sniffed. "At least he used a jutsu. I can't really say that your Akatsuki friend actually helped you out."

Deidara glared at her, his eyes shooting fire. "Don't talk about Tobi like that, hmm. He might be a dumbass, but he's my dumbass. So shut up."

Sakura frowned and then looked to the small pieces of blue sky that were visible through the leaves. He talked quite defensive about that Tobi guy, she thought while slowly regaining feeling in her numb abs. I never thought that Akatsuki members could really show affection towards each other.

A small rock hit her on the side of her head. "I'm **NOT **showing any affection to Tobi, hmm!" Deidara yelled angrily. "Don't you **dare **saying that again! There are too many people already saying that, hmm!!"

Sakura froze and stopped the retort she had prepared. "I didn't say anything," she muttered, getting up half. "I didn't… I just… I only thought…"

She saw the color pulling away out of his face as he concluded the same as she did. "You **thought **that? I… I can read you **thoughts?!**" he asked, gasping at her. Sakura's eyes widened and she stared at him.

Holy holy holy shit. This chain has a lot more side effects than I thought…

Deidara roared and then pressed his free hand against one of his ears, burying his head between his legs. "Stop thinking!!" he shrieked, knees pulled up high. "Stop it, hmm!"

Then Sakura heard the rustling sound of leaves being moved by a rather large group of people. She frowned. Why didn't I notice them earlier?

Then a group of five people, all wearing ANBU masks, appeared on the surrounding trees, examining the two people on the floor. One of them, wearing a mask with a golden lion print on it, jumped to the floor but kept his distance.

"Haruno Sakura?" he asked with a muffled voice. Sakura nodded. The man with the lion print nodded as well. "We've got direct orders to… holy crap!" he had spotted the melted chain and the muddy Akatsuki member and took a fighting stance. "Hawk! Rat! Snake! Get ready! He's an Akatsuki, so be prepared…"

Three other ANBU members got down and took out their kunai, flashing towards Deidara and then holding him tightly. Deidara and Sakura yelled out of pain as the ANBU members pressed Deidara's still half broken ribs and wounds.

"Don't touch him!" Sakura shrieked, getting up completely and pulling Deidara with her, the three ANBU members still clinging on to his cloak. "Don't touch him!"

"But, Sakura-sama, that's an S-class criminal, and member of the Akatsuki," the lion print mask said, although he did put away his kunai. "He's highly dangerous and we've received direct orders from the Hokage herself to imprison him the moment we found you two."

Sakura smiled darkly. "I don't think that'll be necessary. You see these chains?"

The lion nodded.

"They're special. They've connected me in a very special way to this… this guy," Sakura said, disgust clearly on her face. Deidara sniffed angrily but was too weak to move. "and thus make it impossible for him to kill me, as he would kill himself in the process."

The lion nodded again, and then whispered a few words in his headset. The remaining ANBU member in the trees disappeared in a flash and then the lion gave some short orders to the other three. They let go of Deidara but stayed extremely close to him.

"In that case we'll escort you to the Hokage office," the lion said while they started moving. "I'm sure that she knows a way to solve your… problem."

Sakura looked at her feet. Even a highly dangerous criminal like Deidara wouldn't dare attack four ANBU members, so now he would at least follow them to Konoha. But there was still nothing to be glad about. According to her little chat with the Hokage, she knew as much about it as Sakura at the moment. So it didn't really seem like there would be a quick solution to this.

But I can't stay attached to this exploding freak forever, she thought, resulting in an angry glare from Deidara. She cursed inwardly. Shit. I forgot… he can read my thoughts.

On her side, Deidara rolled his eyes. I wonder… Sakura thought while she looked in front of her, deciding that she wouldn't pay any attention to Deidara's reaction on her thoughts. Will I be able to hear his thoughts in the near future as well? Would be fair.

"That would NOT be fair," Deidara snapped at her. To Sakura's surprise, his cheeks had turned a high shade of red and she gave him a quizzical look. What was wrong with him?

The ANBU members shared some puzzled looks.

* * *

**Don't own Naruto. Please R&R**


	3. The Conclusion

**One more to go for today. I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**

**Chapter three: The conclusion**

It was dusty in the Hokage office. Large piles of paper piled up at the Hokage desk, hiding the person behind it. The bin next to the desk was filled with broken pencils and pieces of molded paper, and some pieces of a broken saké bottle. The smell of saké overwhelmed the ANBU member inside slightly and he had to focus on the Hokage to be sure that he didn't faint.

Looking at Tsunade's red cheeks, she was pretty damn drunk, and the several empty saké bottles on the floor confirmed that. The ANBU member wondered how she could've gotten so drunk as it was still only four o clock in the morning. He decided not to ask about it but did clean his throat as she seemed to have forgotten him.

"Oh… Oh yeah, you're still here too," Tsunade muttered from behind the piles of paper, and she got up, revealing herself to the ANBU member. "Uh… what were you, um, going to tell me?" She hiccupped and giggled. "Sorry…!"

The ANBU member wiggled his toes uncomfortable. "We've found Haruno Sakura in the forest, Hokage-sama. She's together with the Akatsuki member Deidara. She's out of danger."

Tsunade nodded and sat down again. A little silence followed and then Tsunade wiped all the paper off her desk, sending it flying in all kind of directions. "Ahh… That's better. Now I can see you. So…" she folded her hands together. "You say you've found Sakura. That's good… very good. And Deidara was knocked out?"

The ANBU member nodded and then immediately shook his head. "Um, I mean, he's not knocked out, but… well…" Tsunade gave him a puzzled look. He sighed. "He's kind of uh… well… attached… to Sakura-san, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade's right eye twitched. "how do you mean, attached?" she asked, her voice raising slightly. "Explain!"

"Well, I only saw them for a few seconds, but…"

"You saw what?? Be a bit more specific please!"

The ANBU member shrugged. "They looked like chains, Hokage-sama. More like glass chains, to be exact. And the weird thing was… well…" he gulped. "The chain seemed to have melted onto their skin, Hokage-sama. I… I don't know how it can be… but Sakura-san said something about Deidara killing himself too if he tried to kill her… so…"

He stopped talking as the Hokage didn't answer. She looked in front her, staring at the ANBU member however she didn't actually see him. "Did you just say… glass chains?" she asked, her voice trembling. The ANBU member nodded slowly.

Immediately Tsunade opened her desk and searched through the mess inside, throwing out all kinds of things but clearly not finding what she had been looking for. "DAMN IT!!" She smacked her fist hard on her desk, leaving a hole behind in the wooden surface. The ANBU member took back a step or five. Then there was a loud knock on the door and the ANBU member quickly opened the door, happy for an excuse to look away from the angry Hokage, and revealed Sakura.

Her skin was pale and muddy, and there were several dried up blood traces on her chin although there were no visible wounds. Behind her stood a larger person with blonde hair and a bloodstained black cloak around his shoulders. Both wore a set of glass chains that had melted itself into their skin, connecting them to each other.

"Ohiyo, Tsunade-sama," Sakura said and she bowed. Deidara rolled his eyes and didn't do anything so Sakura couldn't make a full bow. She glared at him and he glared back until he suddenly shouted: "You bow! I wont bow, hmm!"

Tsunade cleared her throat and the two of them looked up. "Sorry, Hokage-sama… But these chains have a lot of side effects that we didn't know of," Sakura muttered while Deidara looked around, searching for some chairs to sit on.

"yes, about those chains," Tsunade whispered while Deidara reached out for a chair but couldn't reach it. "I thought that I had warned you about those. Why did you use them?"

Sakura shrugged and was then pulled sideways by Deidara when he tried to grasp the chair. "Deidara! You egocentric…"

"…idiot. I know. You're predictable, hmm."

Sakura roared in anger. "It's so unfair! Just because you can read my thoughts doesn't mean that you can just complete every sentence – Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade's jaw had dropped on her desk as she stared at the two. Deidara meanwhile got his chair and sat down comfortably, forcing Sakura to bow down half. "He can read your thoughts?" Tsunade gasped, looking from Sakura to Deidara and back. "Is that because of the chains?"

Sakura nodded and then muttered a faint curse to Deidara while nearly breaking her arm trying to grab a chair herself too. When she sat down Tsunade shook her head. "I want to know everything," She said. "Like, is it sure that he'll kill himself if he tries to kill you?"

Again Sakura nodded fiercely. "Absolutely. I found that out after checking both our Chakra runway system and our nerve system and-"

Deidara sighed. "Why do you have to talk so difficult about something as easy as this, hmm?" and he took out a kunai and stabbed his left hand lightly. Sakura yelped out of surprise and pain and kicked Deidara under the chair. Blood ran down her left hand, just as Deidara's, even though there was no visible wound. Also she rubbed her right leg at exactly the same spot as where she had kicked Deidara.

The Hokage gasped. "So it is true," she said softly, shaking her head. "Unbelievable. Why the hell did you use them?"

Sakura's cheeks flushed. "I forgot," she muttered faintly, receiving some teasing smirks from Deidara. "I found out about them too late… But, Tsunade-sama… Naruto had these chains. Why did you give them to him? You know what kind of idiot he is."

Deidara sniffed. "Is that the way we Akatsuki members should speak about each other? Do you call that "Caretaking" or something, hmm?" he shook his head. "Really. Saying something about me without looking at yourself first."

"Would you please shut up," Sakura hissed, giving him a fierce death glare. He rolled his eyes but didn't react.

"I didn't give Naruto the chains," Tsunade said. "he took them out of the desk. I don't know why but you can be sure that he'll tell me…" she snapped her knuckles. "Coz he will suffer if he doesn't."

Deidara swallowed hard and Sakura saw a drop of sweat running down his face. She raised an eyebrow and then started talking about what she had discovered about the chains to the Hokage. From time to time Deidara added something to the conversation, but that were mostly just annoying comments on Sakura's words or phrases. When they were finished it was about eight o clock in the morning, and both Sakura and Deidara were exhausted.

They had come to a conclusion. Since they seemed to be stuck to each other, they saw no other way than to keep Deidara in Konoha together with Sakura. Next to that, they would continue searching for a way to unlock the chains as there were no keys for them. Even Naruto didn't have them.

When they left the office, Naruto had just been invited inside and they soon heard the roaring voice of a very angry Tsunade. Deidara swallowed again. Sakura glared at him.

I wonder what troubles him, she thought. He seems so tensed about something. Not that I care or something… she sniffed. I would never care about a idiot like him.

"Thank you."

No thanks. Anyway… Could you at least TRY not reading my thoughts, please?

Deidara shrugged. "I tried, hmm. Not possible."

"Right." Hell he didn't.

"I DID," he snapped at her while they walked up to Sakura's apartment. "Do you think that I really enjoy hearing all your perverted thoughts, hmm?"

Sakura blushed of anger. "I do NOT think anything perverted!!" she snapped back, stubbornly not looking at him. "If there's anyone here thinking something gross then it's you."

He sniffed. "Right. Is this your apartment?"

They stood in front of Sakura's front door and Sakura nodded. "Yup. That's it." she searched through her small backpack and quickly found her keys. When she inserted them into the lock though, she suddenly froze.

She only had ONE bed. And a VERY small sofa. And NO carpet to lie on.

That means… she looked at him, horrified. We'll have to share my bed.

For a flash second she thought she saw his cheeks flush but a second later he shrugged, sighing. "As long as you don't try anything…" he said teasingly and he smirked at her.

Sakura rolled her eyes and opened the door to her apartment, still very uncomfortable with the idea. Her bed was small so they would probably have to lie on top of each other if they both wanted a blanket to lie beneath. Next to that her entire apartment had a wooden floor except for the bathroom, so sleeping on the floor was not an option. And her small sofa was just large enough for one person.

Deidara seemed unaffected by the awkwardness of the situation and walked straight inside, opening a door closest to the front door. It was the bathroom so he tried the other one, pulling Sakura behind him like a doll.

"AH! A BED!" he yelled as he had found the bedroom and he nearly ran inside. Sakura shrieked of fear. "NO! Deidara! Stop! We don't …"

but it was too late. He fell on his back on the bed and pulled Sakura on top of him. She saw everything in slow motion as she fell on his chest and their noses touched each other lightly. "…fit."

After that they looked at each other for quite the while. She pulled her chained arm hard. But Deidara didn't let her go. She gave him an angry look. "What are you doing?" she snapped at him, frowning. Deidara grinned. "Sleeping," he said slowly and then he closed his eyes.

Sakura roared out of anger as she was unable to move, again. She hated this. She hated lying on top of this S-class criminal, on his muscular and warm chest, feeling his well formed body beneath her, wondering how he would look like without the large Akatsuki cloak…

Her eyes and Deidara's flew open and again they looked at each other. Sakura blushed fanatically. Why… why did she think that? What had gotten to her!? He gave her a puzzled look. Sakura closed her eyes and then tried not to think of Deidara. She heard him sigh and soon his breath became steady and low, indicating that he was asleep.

She could now finally let her head rest on his chest and she felt her tensed muscles sigh of pleasure. But then there were the irritating thoughts again. He's so warm… her free hand stroke his upper arm without her knowing it herself completely. And so muscular… and quite handsome, too. She shifted a bit and felt his chest going up and down with his still steady breath. Suddenly a plan formed inside of her head and she chuckled.

She grasped for a scissors in her backpack and sighted of relief when she could reach it quite easily. Then she looked at his long blonde hair and smiled again. He wouldn't like it, she was sure, but it was just too unfair that he could read her thoughts and she couldn't read his…

* * *

**Sorry that's so short!!! Next will be longer :) Please R&R**


	4. Angry Deidara and the First Shower

**How exactly will Deidara react to Sakura's little plan...? I liked writing this chapter :) Oh, before I forget, Sakura used to date Sasuke. Just so you know.

* * *

**

**Chapter four: Angry Deidara and the First Shower **

Deidara moaned. Sunlight stroke his skin and he felt warm and very comfortable. Something heavy lay on top of him and he grinned as he concluded that it was a woman. He patted himself on the back inwardly. Great job, Deidara, he thought, still smirking. You got yourself one again, hmm. When he realized that they were both still wearing clothes the memories jumped back into his head and his eyes flew open.

Sakura lay on his chest, her face buried in the space between his head and shoulders and breathing slow and steady. He felt her body pressed against his chest and then he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He didn't exactly know why he did it, but at the moment it felt like the only right thing to do and he enjoyed the feeling of her chest against his.

"mm…" Sakura groaned and then she suddenly started to kiss his neck. Deidara froze and then tugged her shirt lightly. "…Sakura…"

She giggled and then licked a small part of skin on his neck, making Deidara close his eyes and swallow hard. He had no idea why, but he liked it. No, he enjoyed it so much that it was nearly too much for him to handle, but he knew that he had to stop her. If he didn't, she would probably think that he had taken advantage of her or something. Besides, he didn't want this unwelcome feelings at all. She was his enemy. So he patted her back hard. "Sakura… wake up, would you, hmm?"

That "hmm" did the trick as Sakura froze completely.

**Shit. This isn't Sasuke. **

He grinned sourly as he heard her thinking. "No, I'm not that Uchiha brat."

**This is… **

"Deidara, hmm."

She yelled and then jumped up in the air but she was stuck to Deidara and so she fell back on his chest, slamming the air out of his lungs. "OOOF!" Deidara coughed and then got up, planting Sakura on her feet. Her entire body shook like a feather in the wind and she looked at her feet.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I… I…" **Why did I kiss him? Why did I kiss him? How could I've been so stupid…?! And… why does it feel so good… NO!! Stop thinking like this!!!**

Deidara withstood the urge to laugh out loud. "I would like to brush my teeth, hmm." He said, tugging their chained arms. "And my abs still hurt. Could you heal them, please?"

Sakura looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. **Please? Since when does he act so polite- OOH! **She smacked a hand in front of her mouth and tried to step back. **Omigod, his h- no, DON'T think about it…!**

Deidara frowned. "My what?"

Then he realized that Sakura was laughing. She was laughing out loud, her shoulders and upper body shaking so hard that he felt the shakes through the chains. "OMIGOD!! I totally FORGOT!!"

Suddenly a chilly breeze tickled the skin in his neck and he felt goose bumps appear. He frowned. That's weird… why is my neck so cold? And he rubbed his neck, suspecting to feel his long blonde hair covering his neck.

But he felt nothing. No hair. He froze and then ran of to the bathroom, pulling Sakura behind him while she kept laughing and crying of humor. He opened the door to the bathroom and ran inside, searching for a mirror and when he found one he ran up to it and looked in it.

Nearly all his hair was gone. It had been cut and was now short. Both of his eyes were now visible and they stared at him with a shocked expression. He ran a hand through his now extremely short hair and then gave Sakura a death glare.

"You're so dead," he hissed, grabbing her collar and pulling her up in the air. "Don't think I'll hold back just because I'll hurt myself too, hmm. You ruined my HAIR for god's sake! Your DEAD!" He raised his fist in the air and Sakura's eyes widened. He was going to hit her full on. She tried to cover her face when he was just about to stump her full in the face, when there was a very loud knock on the door.

Deidara froze and then looked up at the door. Sakura stared at him with a shocked and scared expression. She shouldn't act like this. He was still an S-class criminal and he was still an Akatsuki member, and thus he was still dangerous and very lethal. She had even heard things about his special jutsu: suicide by explosion. So he wasn't afraid of pain nor was he afraid of dying.

"We'll have to get that," Sakura muttered while Deidara still hold her collar tightly. He gave her a quick glare. "No we don't. We can act like we're still sleeping, hmm." And he dropped her to the floor. She caught herself with one hand in time and then got to her feet again. Again someone knocked on the door and Sakura bit her lip. "We have to get it, Deidara," she said, turning to him. But when she faced him a fist connected with her skull hard, sending her in the floor with Deidara toppling over her.

"Auch! What was that good for!!" Sakura yelled, trying to get up. Her cheek burnt of the punch and she pushed him off her and they both got up. "That was for shaving me nearly bold," Deidara grunted, holding his cheek as well, "And for kissing me this morning for god's sake!"

Sakura groaned. "Oh get a life, like you've never been kissed by a girl." Deidara smacked his forehead with his free hand. "Oh just shut up please, hmm. I just don't like it when girls kiss me and then act that I'm someone else. Like… hmm… I don't know, that Uchiha moron maybe?"

Sakura grunted of anger. "Stop talking about Sasuke-kun like that, you idiot."

Another loud knock on the door didn't even interrupt their slowly raising conversation and Deidara smirked at the pink haired girl. "So you like that Uchiha brat? Interesting, hmm. Can't wait to tell Itachi-san. I'd like to see how he reacts."

"You," Sakura hissed darkly, "Are never, ever going back to the Akatsuki. Never. Because I will kill you the moment we get separated. Believe me."

Again Deidara laughed at her. "Yeah, right. And how are you going to kill me, hmm? By kissing me to death?"

"Stop talking about that, okay!" Sakura yelled in frustration. "It happened, so it happened, okay? It's not like I enjoyed it or anything," she moved her free hand around aimlessly. "But we're kind of stuck with each other for the time being. So I would suggest that we stop talking to each other and just… just… just stop irritating each other. Hm? How does that sound?"

Deidara smirked. "No talking? And what about your irritating thoughts interrupting my head, hmm?" He shook his head. "Well… just because you kissed me this morning…"

Sakura's lip twitched.

"…I'll do as you ask for once, hmm. I wont talk to you anymore. Only with one condition, though."

"What?"

he grinned. "…that you'll kiss me again. Tonight, hmm."

Sakura hissed and threw a book to his head. He dodged it in time. "NO deal, you pervert! I'm not STUPID!"

He shrugged. "Then I'll keep talking, hmm. Imagine us walking through the streets of this shitty city, and meeting a couple of friends of yours, hmm. And then I start talking about you licking my neck this morning…"

Sakura roared in anger. "Okay, OKAY! I'll do it!!" She turned around to face the door in pure frustration and withstood the urge to grab a kunai and just plant it in his chest and watch him die. She sighed and then looked around to face Deidara, who leaned back against the wall as far as he could without hurting their wrists. "Then I'll stop talking from now on, hmm. Have a nice day and pretend like I'm not around."

"Thank. You." Then she suddenly remembered the knocking on the door. She glanced at Deidara but he just shrugged and smirked at her. Silently cursing him, she went to the door and was just about to open it when he tugged her arm.

"What?" She asked, slightly annoyed. He shook his head and then made a brushing movement with his finger over his teeth. Sakura sighed. "Oh yeah. Brushing your teeth."

"You don't have a toothbrush, do you?" She asked, sounding tired. He didn't react and she sighed deeply. "Don't think that you can lend mine. Use your finger if you want to brush your teeth. There's the toothpaste." And she pointed to the white tube standing on the sink.

He nodded and took the tube, and then he pressed out some of the toothpaste on his finger. After that he started brushing his teeth. Sakura was forced to watch it all. She followed the fluid movement of his hands, the brightness of his teeth, and the somewhat pinkish color of his tongue which moved around behind his teeth. She couldn't help feeling slightly excited.

While he was still brushing, Sakura got her own toothbrush and started brushing her own teeth. Most of the time she forgot to brush them, a bad habit, but now she didn't have anything else to do so she might as well try it out for once. The toothpaste was fresh and a delight for her warm and dry mouth. She finished brushing earlier than Deidara and quickly drank some water to wash away the remaining bits of toothpaste.

She put the glass down on the sink and then Deidara took it, filled it with water and drank it fully. Sakura watched it all, one eyebrow slightly raised. Didn't he care about the fact that she had just been drinking from that same glass? From exact the same spot, too, she saw as she looked closer.

When he noticed her glaring he winked at her and put the glass down. Then Sakura and he made their way outside the bathroom to the front door. After opening it, they realized that, whoever had tried to "wake" them, had walked away again and that there was no one. Sakura gave Deidara a quick glare. He just smirked and placed a finger of his free hand on his lips.

Oh yea. No talking.

He rolled his eyes as an answer and Sakura sighed. "Let's go to the Hokage, shall we?" she said, more to herself than to Deidara. "I want to know how long we've been sleeping. Oh, and before I forget…" she turned around to face him and then suddenly leaned in. "You need to get that cloak off. People might attack you."

Deidara scowled at her and stubbornly didn't do as she asked. She sighed and then started to unbutton the cloak herself. Deidara yelped of surprise and jumped back, tugging Sakura behind him.

"What are you doing?" Sakura exclaimed, rubbing her chained wrist. He gave her a death glare and wrapped his cloak firmly around his shoulders. Sakura raised an eyebrow and then decided to play this dirty. "Does your torso look so bad that you don't want anyone to see it?" she asked, teasing him. He got highly red but held his lips firmly on each other. Sakura shrugged.

"You do realize that if they attack you, they'll attack me too, don't you?" she asked, her voice sounding tired and annoyed. "Just put it off, okay? I've got some spare clothes if you want to hide your torso or something. Your new haircut will make it more difficult for people to recognize you, but that cloak says enough."

Deidara broke and sighed, nodding his head. He started unbuttoning his cloak but before he opened it he gave Sakura a long intense glare. She felt a drop of sweat running down her neck and she shifted a bit on the spot. What's about this staring…? She thought, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

Then he opened the cloak and threw it on the floor. Sakura's jaw dropped as she saw what he had probably been trying to hide. There was a large scar like thing on the upper left part of his torso, and the scar was stitched together by dirty looking black ropes. Some tattoos next to it made it rather spooky and she gasped at him. "What the hell is that?"

He rolled his eyes and then crossed his arms in front of his chest, hiding the disgusting thing for her. Sakura shook her head and then tugged him behind her until they stood in the bedroom again. She went to the dresser and then found a shirt from Sasuke that he had left here a few months ago. She looked it over and when she found no Uchiha symbol, she handed it over to Deidara, who took it gratefully and then put it on.

"Let's go to the Hokage then, okay?" Sakura said weakly, and they started walking outside. She locked the door behind her and then they stopped walking. Or, better said, Sakura stopped walking and thus was Deidara forced to stop as well. He gave her a puzzled look.

"We… well, you know…" Sakura bit her bottom lip. What will people say if they see me together with this freak? What will remain of my reputation? And what will Sasuke think…!

She noticed how Deidara clenched his fist and her eyes twitched for a second. He then sighed and pulled her behind him.

When they reached the Hokage building, Sakura was extremely happy to be out of the crowd and out of the burning sun. Looking at the panting and sweating Deidara next to her, he didn't enjoy the sun at all. Sakura knocked on the door weakly and got an immediate answer.

"Come in."

So she opened the door and they both stepped inside, happy for the refreshing airconditioning inside the office. Tsunade stood in front of her windows and was looking outside, but when they entered she turned around, looking at them both.

Of course the first thing that hit her was Deidara's new haircut and Sakura saw the corners of Tsunade's mouth tug upwards. The next thing was the silence of them both.

"Sakura, Deidara, I had suspected you to get here earlier," Tsunade said cheerfully, getting two chairs for them. "I had sent Naruto to fetch you an hour ago."

Sakura smiled weakly. "Well, um, we, we were still sleeping, I think. We didn't hear anyone knock on the door…" She swallowed. She hated lying. Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Anyway. The fact that you and Deidara were unprotected for the last twenty four hours was a large mistake and it wont happen again. I talked it over with some of my subordinates and it seemed better to us to get you in a room in the Hokage building. With camera protection and ANBU guards standing in front of the room, of course. Next to that," She looked at Deidara now. "We'll begin your interrogation. Stuck to my apprentice or not, you are still a member of the Akatsuki, and we need your information."

Deidara rolled his eyes and then Sakura found the difficulty. "Um, Tsunade-sama," she began, fumbling with her hair. "Will you interrogate him today?"

Tsunade nodded. "I planned it around four o clock in the afternoon since it is nearly half past twelve by now."

Sakura bit her bottom lip. "Well, um, Tsunade-sama, there's something about… uh, today… You see…" she looked at Deidara. "Deidara cant talk today… he's, eh…" she sighed. "He can't talk today."

"Why cant he not? I do not see the reason," Tsunade said, sounding annoyed. "We need to interrogate him as soon as possible, Sakura. You know that. Is it because of his new haircut or something?"

Deidara's body twitched and Sakura shook her head fanatically. "No! No, it's not about that… it's just that I… well…"

"Just spit it out will you!"

Sakura closed her eyes firmly. "I got into some dare thingy with him. I dared him not to talk the entire day because he was annoying me to hell this morning, and he's quite stubborn so I don't think he'll talk."

Tsunade sniffed and smacked her desk, more from frustration than anger this time. Sakura shifted on the spot. "But I think that camera surveillance would be quite a good solution," she said, thinking about last night. "how does the room look like?"

Tsunade walked past them and fetched a key from her pocket. "See for yourselves," she said as she opened a door that Sakura hadn't seen before. She peeked inside and felt relieved when she saw two beds, standing close to each other, but still TWO beds. Also there was a small kitchen and a door to where probably the bathroom was.

"The cameras are installed in every room, except for the bathroom," Tsunade said, pointing them out. "And as I said before, there will be at least two ANBU members standing on guard in front of this door. Feel free to take a look inside." She handed over the key to Sakura. "Just remember that you wont be able to get out the room in the night. My office is locked in the evenings and you only have the key for that door. Further there are no limitations. At least not for you, Sakura."

She leaned in closer to Sakura. "We've taken precautions for his explosions," she whispered, keeping her voice so low that Deidara couldn't hear it. Sakura immediately forced herself not to think about it. "So you can start interrogating him, okay? He won't be able to blow things up. Just try it out, dare or not. Oh and one more thing," she said, her voice raising as she got up again. "We're looking for a solution to these chains, but it could take us quite long. Also I could send Naruto over here." She winked at Sakura. "I bet you have some undone business with him."

Sakura smirked but shook her head. "No, let him be. He'll come to this apartment within a day or two eventually anyway."

Tsunade smirked back. "What you wish."

And then she left the room, leaving Sakura and Deidara behind. Sakura felt his puzzled gaze stinging in her back but refused to look at him. Instead of that, she plastered a fake smile on her lips and went inside the small apartment, tugging Deidara behind her. "Wow, this apartment is quite large," She said cheerfully, checking it out. "And so bright. Do you see those windows? They're huge!!"

They were huge. Three large windows reached from the floor to the ceiling, sending in sunlight and brighten the room. The room was fully furnished with elegant but modern furniture and the kitchen was nice even though it was small in compensation with the living room. The bedroom was large and full of light, and the two beds that Sakura had seen before felt very soft and comfortable. Next to that, the room had two large dressers and an enormous mirror. The bathroom was nearly as large as the living room and Sakura felt delighted when she saw a bath tub, surrounded by black cloth, just as the shower and the toilet. So at least she could bathe, shower and go to the toilet quite private.

Deidara seemed to have noticed as well but, of course, didn't say a thing. Sakura looked at him. "I'm going to shower," she said firmly walking towards the shower. "You can go after me."

Deidara scowled at her and Sakura grinned back. "oh don't worry, I'll leave some hot water for you," And she stepped inside the shower cabin. She was about to close the door behind her when she realized that they were still stuck to each other. So she looked for a solution.

There was none. She cursed silently. How could they've been so stupid!! They make the shower completely dark but forget that I have to keep this irritating chain somewhere…!

She looked at Deidara who was smirking full on. What is he laughing at, she thought irritated. He can forget showering together with me…

She felt her cheeks flush when that thought occurred to her, and, to her surprise, she saw his cheeks flush red as well. A chilly feeling wrapped itself around her upper body as a mental image was slowly forming inside of her head. She banned it out before it could take complete shape but the damage had already been done.

"Look, I want to shower, and I need some new clothes," Sakura explained. "So I'll get some clothes from the dresser in the bedroom and then…" she glared at him. "You'll have to close your eyes."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Don't think that I like it, relying on you," Sakura hissed frowning. "But I want to shower because I stink. So do you, by the way." And she sniffed as he got closer. "You know what, I'll get a towel… wait a second…" and she searched through the bathroom, searching for a nice small towel. When she found one she stepped in front of Deidara.

He gave her a puzzled look when she leaned in very close, and her nose nearly touched his chin. She felt the heat radiating off his body and then forced her free hand with the towel upwards, until she had gotten behind his head. His eyes widened when she touched his hair lightly but she didn't notice it. She tugged her chained hand up as well and then wrapped the towel around his head, in front of his eyes. He yelped of surprise and tried to grab the towel but Sakura held on firmly.

She knotted it behind his head so that he couldn't see and then chained his only remaining free hand to his trousers with a piece of rope she had found in her backpack and he growled at her. She smirked. "So. Like that. Now if you will wait?"

She walked to the bedroom with Deidara stumbling behind her and withstood the urge to laugh when he bumped against a wall and cursed lightly. "Did I just hear you talk?" she asked, resulting in an angry howl. She giggled and then opened her dresser. It was filled with nice clothes and she quickly picked a pair. After that they made their way to the bathroom again. She saw that Deidara was trying to get his hand free but, to her satisfaction, he wasn't successful.

And now came the rather hard part. She had to shower. He couldn't see her, she was positive. But still, the fact that he was so close to her… She shivered and looked at him. He growled at her and she felt her eye twitch.

"I'll be ready within a second," she said, opening the shower door and stepping inside. She tugged him behind her half but kept him far away from the shower head as she slowly started to undress. But then there was a large problem. She couldn't put off her shirt as long as she was attached to him. How would she solve this??

She looked at the muddy shirt and then decided that she would throw it away after this eventually, so she took a kunai and then ripped the fabric apart. The ripping sound made Deidara freeze and his blindfolded head looked at her, head slightly tilted. "It's not what you think," Sakura snapped at him while she kicked off her boots and unzipped her skirt.

She had decided to get this over with as quick as possible and was now completely nude, standing in the shower cabin, just a feet away from Deidara, who was blindfolded but still very much a man. For a moment she wondered if he could maybe see beneath the towel but she concluded that he couldn't and then she started the water.

It was hot and burnt her skin so she turned down the temperature a bit so that the water had a comfortable temperature. She heard Deidara growl again as his sleeve was getting wet, but she decided not to pay any attention to it.

It's hard enough already to stand inches away from him without wearing anything, she thought and she shivered, even when the water started to get very hot again. And after this I'll have to let him shower as well…

Suddenly unwanted images floated through her mind. She couldn't help but imagine how it would be like if Deidara stood next to her in the shower, wearing nothing but a small towel, soaping her in and caressing the skin on her back lightly…

She woke up from her unwanted daydream when she suddenly felt no pressure on the chains anymore. She had merely a second left to see that Deidara was racing up to her, screaming, and then he bumped against her fully, smacking them both against the shower wall.

_

* * *

_

**I don't own Naruto. Hope to see you at the next chappie.**


	5. Dinner

**First I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed or added me to their favorite stories - THANK you all!! I've never had so many replies in just two days! And as promised, here is chapter five. I know that there has been a small mistake in chapter four - perhaps some people might have read it but the chapter five that was accidentally added to chapter four was the wrong one! Here's chapter five as it should be. Enjoy :)**

**PS: I don't own Naruto**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter five: Dinner**

"And? How are things going?"

The question came from Sakura's best friend, Ino. She was blond and could be very nice if she wanted to, but wasn't really the cleverest person to talk to. Right now, she sat next to Sakura on the wide couch of her new apartment, and Deidara sat as far away from the two girls as possible. He looked outside of the windows, at the still dim stars, and had an expression on his face that could best be defined as "Bored as Hell".

Sakura shrugged and remembered the little accident in the shower. "Quite okay," she muttered, feeling the little wound on her upper lip. As Deidara had pushed her against the wall so that she lost balance, she had smacked her face against the hard tiles. "I mean, if you look in what kind of situation I'm in.."

Ino nodded, suddenly serious. "Haven't they found a solution yet? They cant let you walk around with this criminal forever, can they?"

Sakura sighed, feeling drowsy all of a sudden. It had gotten evening and Ino hadn't been the first one to visit. To be exact, three others had come before her, and she had been forced to tell the entire story three times in a row. To Hinata, Temari and Ten-Ten who had dropped by all on different times.

"I don't know, really. Tsunade-sama seemed quite… well… uncertain about these chains."

She remembered a short visit of the Hokage, a half hour after the shower accident. She had told them that there would be no interrogations today. Not because of the dare between Sakura and Deidara, but because of the fact that Ibiki was currently on a mission and thus unable to interrogate anyone.

"It seemed like she really panicked when she saw me stuck to… him."

As an answer, Deidara sniffed at the two girls and Sakura rolled her eyes. Ino raised an eyebrow and then frowned. "Why isn't he talking?" she asked, lowering her voice. "Did something happen to his voice when you two got connected or something?"

Sakura shook her head and then blushed. "No, that's not it. You see, he can make you wish that you didn't have gotten ears. And this morning, well, I dared him not to talk for an entire day." She grinned. "Not actually daring, more like suggesting us not talking to each other anymore. He agreed, but gave me a condition."

Ino stared at Sakura with a blank expression. "So you mean he would only stop talking if you did something for him?"

"That's right."

"And have you already done that or…"

As an answer, Sakura blushed so deeply that her cheeks looked like giant strawberries and she bowed her head. "Not exactly."

This made Ino curious, as could have been suspected. "Then what is it that you have to do?" She asked, sounding slightly thrilled. "Not something…" she lowered her voice. "Perverted? Coz in that case you should just ignore him, you know. I mean, it's not like he owns you now he's stuck to you…"

Deidara cleared his throat quite loud and the two girls looked up from their conversation.

"Oops," Ino giggled. "Forgot he was here too."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Happens to me all the time." And Deidara poked her side with his elbow, still looking bored.

They started talking about all kinds and sorts of things, and Sakura was happy that she had found a way to talk herself out of the awkward situation. After a while, Ino suggested going home as it was late, and the three stood from the couch.

"So then I'll see you tom- wait a second."

Ino glared at Sakura, who felt a drop of cold sweat run down her neck. "What?"

"Forehead, you changed the subject!!" Ino shrieked, pointing at Sakura. "you still haven't told me what he made you do! Tell me tell me!" and she pouted at Sakura like a small child begging for cookies.

Sakura, again, felt her cheeks flush. She hadn't told Ino about what happened that morning and hadn't really been planning on doing so either. She was just about to start lying her way around this when Deidara poked her side lightly. He smirked at her and then nodded, earning a rather quizzical look from Sakura and Ino both.

He sighed and then walked to the counter, grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and then started quibbling down something. Ino and Sakura shared some puzzled looks. Sakura shrugged when Ino gave her a what-the-hell-is-going-on look and then Sakura tried to read what Deidara was writing.

He didn't let her though but passed the little white note to Ino, who took it from his hands and started to read. With every word she read, her eyebrows raised up further until Sakura thought that they were going to disappear in her hair.

She glanced at Deidara, but he didn't react at all so she walked up to Ino. "What does it say?" she asked, noticing that her voice was trembling lightly. Ino looked up to her with gigantic, shocked eyes.

"Is this true?" she whispered, barely able to talk. Sakura frowned. "What is true? What does it say!?" and Ino handed the note over to Sakura who started reading.

"This morning, your little pink haired friend over here woke me up in a rather interesting way. I wont go in the details, hmm. But she seemed so eager to do it again that I gave her the opportunity. So the little story she just told you wasn't the complete one, as she left out the fact that she was licking my neck this morning, drooling all over me. You understand what I'm trying to say?"

Sakura let out a roar of anger and then turned to Deidara. "I… You… I cannot… you shall… RAAH!! EAT THIS DAMN IT!!" and she grabbed his shoulders and then smashed her knee full between his legs, aiming for the most painful spot. She hit it full and he collapsed, and the next moment an awful pain hit Sakura as well. It wasn't really coming from one spot like the other injuries, but that could've been suspected by the part of Deidara that had gotten hurt and what Sakura obviously lacked. But the pain was there still.

Sakura clang to Ino as Deidara stumbled on the floor, muttering curses between his clenched teeth and holding the hit spot carefully. "Ino," she said, shaking and trying not to vomit, "I think its best for you to go home now," and she gave the blonde a trembling quick hug with one arm. "I'll be fine, okay?"

Ino just nodded and then walked outside, her face still frozen of shock. She didn't even close the door behind her and Sakura was forced to drag Deidara to the door to close it.

She would never, ever, kick him there again. This pain was… awful. Horrific.

"Why did you… why did you write that?" she asked, still hanging onto the doorpost. He looked up to her and gave her a foul smirk, and then he shrugged. This made Sakura a bit irritated. "How do you mean? Did you just ... do it on a whim?"

He waited a few seconds and then nodded, still smirking. Sakura gave him a death glare and then felt ready to walk again. Also did Deidara as he got up slowly.

"Let's eat some dinner. I'm starving," Sakura stated and she dragged herself to the kitchen, with Deidara following her in just a feet. Then she started searching through the fridge and the cupboards to see if there was any food. She found out that there was, but, for a weird reason, she could only find boxes with ramen-to-go.

Must've been Naruto who helped Tsunade out in getting food here, she thought sighing while she got two boxes and read the heating instructions. I guess that eating ramen as complete dinner wont hurt if you just do it once…

Just when she was about to put the ramen into the microwave, Deidara tapped her on the shoulder. She looked around. "Something wrong?"

He pointed at the ramen, gave her a very puzzled look and then shrugged. It took Sakura a few seconds to realize what he meant. Her jaw dropped to the floor.

"You've never eaten ramen? You're serious?"

Deidara got a bit of a color and gave her an angry glare. Sakura giggled. "Well, let this be the first time then. Do you know that Na- I mean the Jinchuuriki you're chasing on eats nothing else than this?"

When he shrugged she continued. "He eats it all the time. For breakfast, for lunch, for dinner. I cant believe that he's still so healthy and everything. I've warned him several times for the fact that it really isn't very nutritive and so has Tsunade-sama, but he just wont listen…"

She stopped herself. She was babbling. Babbling against an S-Class criminal who obviously didn't give a damn about it. She heard him sigh and then gave him a slightly apologetic look, a bit ashamed of herself. Then she put the ramen into the microwave and adjusted the heat to the right temperature.

A few minutes later the microwave beeped to state that the food was ready, and when Sakura opened the door of the microwave a delicious smell floated out of it. She took the two steaming boxes of ramen and gestured to Deidara to grab some chopsticks and then the two made their way to the little dinner table. They sat down, with their chained arm lying on the table and their other arm hanging next to them.

Sakura stared at the chopsticks and then to her free hand, her right one. In the afternoon they had eaten a small sandwich so she hadn't been forced to use chopsticks. But now… she was left handed. She could never eat her ramen with her right one.

She tried it, and under the gaze of Deidara, dropped a large pile of ramen next to the box in her clumsy attempt on eating. She blushed and then shove the ramen back into the box and tried again. Same result.

Deidara didn't seem to have the same problem as she. The bastard, she thought while looking at him. He's left handed too. At least he can still use his left hand.

But he wasn't eating. He was just staring at the ramen that hung onto his chopsticks with a fascinated look on his face. "Are you going to eat that?" Sakura asked, getting slightly irritated with him. She tried another time and this time she managed to grasp one wisp of ramen and then slurped it inside. He raised an eyebrow.

Then he opened his mouth and carefully shoved the ramen inside. Then he started chewing while looking at the ramen box intensively. Sakura felt herself glaring at him but couldn't help herself as curiosity got the better part of her and she kept staring.

Suddenly Deidara's eyes flew open. He looked at Sakura and for a moment she was afraid that he would spit it all out on her, but then he started eating like in a marathon, holding the ramen box with his chained hand and thus pulling Sakura over the table while shoving in the ramen at top speed.

"OY! Deidara! Oy!!" Sakura lay on the table in a very uncomfortably position while Deidara kept swallowing more and more ramen with disgusting sounds. "I'm still here too!!!"

But he didn't react and didn't stop eating for five more minutes. Then he smacked the now empty box of ramen on the table and burped out loud. Then he saw Sakura still lying on the table, on her belly, looking at him with eyes that shot fire.

He raised both of his eyebrows and then placed his chained arm back on the table, allowing Sakura to get back on her chair. She did and then grabbed her chopsticks again, gave Deidara one more angry glare, and then started eating ramen. Or trying to.

After ten more futile attempts she heard Deidara sigh. She was just about to gave him an angry retort when she suddenly felt Deidara's hand on hers. She looked up at him but he didn't meet her gaze.

He took her chopsticks out of her hands carefully and then used them himself. He took a large pile of ramen out of the box and Sakura got angry again. Her cheeks got redder than before. "HEY! That's MY food you know!!"

Now he finally met her eyes and Sakura became totally silent. His eyes… they had changed. Changed dramatically. The harshness and the early competitive stare had disappeared and had left an emotion that Sakura could only define as… care taking. And soft…

When he slowly moved the chopsticks with ramen to her face, she realized that he was actually trying to feed her. She gave him a puzzled look and felt her cheeks flush heavily when he carefully pressed the ramen against her still closed lips. Then she opened her mouth a little bit, allowing him to feed her like a baby.

The ramen were delicious even though they were a bit cold, and she couldn't help closing her eyes and sighing out of relief. She heard him chuckle and quickly recovered, seeing that he had another chopstick of ramen ready. So she ate that too, and the next one too, until the ramen box was empty and Sakura felt so full that she was afraid she might explode.

"Thank you," she whispered while he sat back on his chair again, leaning back a bit. He shrugged at her and then smirked and Sakura saw that his eyes had turned back to normal again.

"You know," Sakura said while they threw away the ramen boxes and cleaned their chopsticks. "I could ask Ino to do your hair. I mean…" she looked at him. "I'm not really a barber and… well.." she giggled. "You can see that."

He gave her a slightly angry but more irritated look.

"Well? What do you think? Should I ask her?"

He tilted his head sideways and was obviously thinking it over, until he nodded. Sakura smiled at him. "Then I'll ask her tomorrow, okay? We cant get out of the apartment now, it's evening."

He nodded.

"wait… it's… it's evening…"

He nodded again.

She felt her pulse increase. It was evening. The end of Deidara not speaking. The end of the lovely quiet time, and the beginning of fulfilling the condition he had given her early that morning. In short saying: She would have to kiss him.

She felt her stomach knit together and swallowed hard, looking at her feet. "Where?" she muttered, slowly looking up at him again. Inside of her she was pleading that she would have to kiss his neck again, like this morning when she had thought he was Sasuke. But when she saw him looking at him, she knew that he wasn't going to let her go with that.

Slowly, torturing slowly, he placed his finger on his lips, and then grinned full at her. She felt her cheeks flush and her palms getting sweaty as she stared at his lips.

I'll make it quick, she thought while stepping closer very slowly. A short kiss… like a peck on the cheek. Just imagine that he's Sas- NO, DON'T imagine that he's Sasuke, that'll make things worse.

He gave her a satisfied smirk. Sakura's insides were running around aimlessly as she knew that she had to do this. And on top of that, as soon as she had done it, he would start talking and thus start irritating her again. And then there was the fact that she was actually dating Sasuke – or something like that. She saw him a few times a month when he came back from his missions, but their relationship was romantic and they were very close.

And kissing Deidara did make her feel guilty.

She caught herself staring at his lips and then looked up at his eyes. She took a deep breath and then stepped forwards. Her chest touched his as she placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself as she went on tiptoes very slowly. She forced herself not to look into his eyes as she felt his breath tickle on her face and his body warmth radiating off him.

Then she leaned in and placed her lips on his.

She was amazed by their softness as she hadn't expected that at all. He didn't touch her, he didn't do anything, while Sakura still stood there, her eyes closed firmly, her lips on his.

Something inside of her started screaming. She had to stop. She had to pull back now, she had to stop now, she HAD to stop now or she would… no, perhaps he would…

But she couldn't. She couldn't pull back. It was like she was GLUED to his lips, like there was something keeping her there. And then strange feelings started to rush into her brain, dazzling around and making her feel dizzy.

She felt his hands on her shoulders and then he applied small pressure on them, carefully pushing her away from him, breaking their lips off each other.

She panted and looked at her feet, totally from earth, unable to concentrate on what happened.

"Well, that was… unexpected," she heard him say. She didn't react. "For a moment I thought that we had melted together again…"

She looked at him. "This is never going to happen again," she hissed while slowly regaining her self control. "Never."

He raised an eyebrow. "Sure, hmm."

* * *

**And so he's talking again! Only one thing though: remember the surveillance camera's...:)**

**Please R&R ;)**


	6. The Tapes

**And Voilá there's the next chappie! I guess it turned out a bit foggy... I rewrote this part nearly four times and I still think something is missing...

* * *

**

**Chapter six: The tapes**

_Morning. It is morning already._

This thought woke Sakura up from her long night sleep and she tried to stretch her back, but her chained arm stopped her from doing so and she sank back into the pillows. Her chained arm hung outside of the bed and was terribly cold, but so was Deidara's.

After the kiss of the evening before they had went to bed straight, and this time Sakura had put on some pajamas beneath her blankets, carefully folding her normal clothes next to her bed. Deidara had simply taken off his Akatsuki cloak and his shirt and was now sleeping with a bare chest – and that strange tattoo - and his muddy pants. What reminds me, she thought while looking at his face. He still hasn't showered yet. Gross.

Her eyes lingered over his face. It was good proportioned and his nose was elegant and long, nearly that of a woman. His lips were thin but not too thin and not too wide, and were curled into a sleepy smile of a dreamer. His eyes were closed and his eyebrows were relaxed, and his short blonde hair spiked out to several directions, the traces of Sakura's scissors still very clear.

She blushed. _I really need to get Ino to cut his hair. He can't walk around like this, people will laugh at him!_ And immediately after that, she frowned. Since when did she start caring about how Deidara felt, or about what people thought of him? She shouldn't care about that. Heck, she shouldn't even think about it! he was still her enemy and a very dangerous one, too.

She sighed and looked at the alarm clock on her nightstand. 10.04 AM. It was about time for them to get up and dress, and for Deidara to shower. Ibiki was coming back from his mission today or tomorrow so she would have to prepare on their interrogations. She shivered. What if Ibiki was going to torture Deidara to get his information… Then she would be tortured too. And she had heard terrible things about Ibiki's ways to get his information….

She looked at the ceiling after that and felt her eyes linger over the plaster, until she reached a corner of the room. The dark lens of a surveillance camera stared at her and she stared back, not totally aware of why her heart was beating so fast, and her stomach knitted together at this sight. Then she saw the red lamp beneath the lens going on and off, and then she finally knew what was wrong with her.

_Cameras_, she thought and her eyes widened. _Tsunade said in every room, except for the bathroom. That means that they were in the living room as well…_ She swallowed as she stared at the camera. _They've got everything on tape!! I have to get that surveillance camera tape and destroy it… I wont allow anyone to see me KISSING DEIDARA!!!_

Her loud thoughts woke up Deidara who moaned and then rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with his free hand. "Something wrong, hmm?" he muttered while still lying on his back, not looking at her. Sakura nodded and then realized that he couldn't see her.

"There are… yesterday… there were…" she coughed. Deidara opened one lazy eye and glared at her. "What, hmm?"

"Cameras. Taping everything."

He stared at her and then got up from the bed slowly, his eyes wide of shock and surprise. "Cameras?" he repeated, looking her right in the eye. She locked her eyes to his to be sure that she didn't see his creepy tattoo and then nodded, not speaking.

Then the corners of his mouth started to tug upwards, and the next thing Sakura knew was that he was laughing his lungs out, collapsing half, slapping his free hand on his leg and tears running down his face. "OMIGOD, HMM!!" He laughed, pointing at Sakura. "I **totally **FORGOT!!! HAHAHA!!!"

"Shut up! This isn't funny!"

"Yes it IS, hmm!! Hahaha…! Those freaking cameras…!!"

Sakura threw a pillow at him, her face red of anger. "Get yourself something to wear, you stupid," she snapped at him, pissed off badly. "And get a shower because you stink. And then we'll get those tapes." She glared at him. "And you WILL help me."

Deidara pinked away a tear of his laughing. "…yeah yeah, sure, hmm. But…"

"WHAT?"

He smirked. "Have you forgotten that there are people watching those tapes 24/7, hmm? Might better find out who that are first, don't you think?"

Sakura swallowed. She hadn't thought about that. "Fuckkk!!" She screamed and then stood from her bed so quick that she dragged Deidara to the floor. She buried her face in her hands and muffled it around a bit. Things got more and more complicated with every second and she couldn't stand it.

"Say, what do you think of me not speaking for a day again, hmm?" Deidara asked from the floor. "How does that sound? But I wont do it for free… hehehe… AUCH!" Sakura kicked him against the side of his head and then pulled him up at his arm, dragging him in the bathroom, ignoring her newfound headache.

"And how does it sound if you would finally SHOWER!?" she yelled angrily. "We have to hurry up before others see the tape! Please, _please_ hurry up!!" And she jumped up and down, giving him a startled look. He sighed, rolled his eyes and then started to strip off his clothes in front of a now very, _very_ red Sakura.

"OY!! Don't put off your clothes while I'm watching! That's gross!!!" And she turned around quickly, covering her eyes with her free hand and her cheeks still red as cherries. She heard him chuckle.

"Why wouldn't I? At least _I_ have nothing to be ashamed about, hmm…"

Sakura's left eye twitched and she withstood the urge to punch him. "Just hurry up will you," she hissed, still not looking. "The clock's ticking!!"

-A half hour later-

Deidara and Sakura ran down the stairs of the Hokage building, running as fast as they could without falling, sweat running down their backs. The sun burnt their skin as they left the shade of the large tower and started running towards the building where the surveillance videos were watched. It was quite a large firma and was hired by most people of Konoha, with the extremely original name "Surveillance and Co".

"Here it is," Sakura panted when they reached the building. Several people had looked at them while they raced through the streets, but Sakura hoped that no one had recognized them. "Let's hope we're not too late."

Deidara rolled his eyes. "Gee, it would be so terrible if we were too late. A real disaster, hmm." And he chuckled. Sakura glared daggers at him but decided not to speak at him as they had reached the counter.

"Um, hello…?" Sakura tapped on the small bell on the counter. The room had cream white walls with a shiny floor that reflected like a mirror. The counter was from dark solid wood and behind that stood a computer and a chair, but the chair was empty.

Soon someone came walking towards the counter. It was a young female with short, light brown hair and slightly yellowish eyes. "Hello," she said, sitting down behind the computer. "I'm Hazel. What can I help you with?"

Sakura smiled at her. "I would like to see some videos from my- um, _our_ apartment. If that's possible, of course."

Hazel looked at her with a pitiful look in her eyes. "I'm terribly sorry, but I cant let you see the videos. Part of the rules, I'm afraid. You'll have to ask permission first."

Sakura's eyes widened. "But I have to see them! You don't understand – it's really, _really_ important that I get to see them." When Hazel shook her head again, Sakura roared out of anger, frightening Hazel. "Please stay calm, or I'll have to get the guards here," she said, standing from her chair.

"Okay, sorry, I'm sorry," Sakura muttered, hearing Deidara chuckle behind her. "I mean – it's just so important for me to see those tapes. You need to understand, people might blackmail me with its contents!"

Hazel opened her mouth to say no when someone's voice rang out. "Hazel! Let me handle this." And Tsunade appeared from behind a door and got Hazel up from her chair. "you did fine but I'm afraid that I'll have to take care of these two. Besides there are some problems on the second floor with the electronics – do you think you can help them?"

Hazel nodded, clearly happy to be able to get away from Sakura and the very silent Deidara, and then stood from the chair and got up the stairs without even saying goodbye.

"And what is it that makes you so upset, Sakura?" Tsunade asked, her face calm and relaxed but her eyes worried. "Something happened with Deidara?"

"Oy, you woman," Deidara spat from behind Sakura and he stepped forwards. "Don't talk about me like I'm not around, hmm. I hate that." And he gave her a threatening glare. Tsunade gave him a glare that was even more frightening and Sakura saw Deidara swallow.

"As I asked, what is wrong?" Tsunade asked, focusing on Sakura again. Sakura heard Deidara crack his teeth but ignored him. "I need to see the tapes of our living room of yesterday evening," Sakura stated, knowing that Tsunade would probably ask for an explanation. She did.

"And why is that?"

Sakura swallowed. "Because. Just… just because."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Come on Sakura, you know me long enough to know that I wont take that for an answer. As it is right now, no one else but the surveillance guards are allowed to see the tapes."

Sakura's face lit up as she heard that. "Really? No one else?"

She heard Deidara growl next to her and saw Tsunade raising an eyebrow. "That's right."

Sakura felt so good that she felt like jumping on a roof and scream as hard as she could. The guards who saw it were not allowed to talk about what they had seen, and the tapes were secured in Surveillance & Co, so that meant that she didn't need to worry anymore!

"Sakura, are you alright? You're face has gotten kinda red, you now." Sakura looked up at Tsunade and smiled at her. "I'm fine, Tsunade-sama. I've heard enough…" she looked at Deidara and nearly laughed at his unhappy expression. "I guess we'll be heading back, then."

Deidara frowned. "I didn't think so. You see, hmm, I would like to see those tapes. It's not like you can simply decide what we are going to do, hmm. You should know that I don't like it if I don't get things going my way…" and he smirked at her angry expression.

"And you should know that forcing me into doing things doesn't work at all! I mean, come on, it's not like I'm deciding what we're doing all the time."

Deidara got red. "Oh yeah? Well, then I've got news for you: you do." He sniffed and then continued in a high pitched voice. "Come on, Deidara, you need to shower because you smell. We need to get those tapes, Deidara, and you will help me… I've got enough of that, hmm!"

"Then I'm sorry for you but it doesn't seem like you are actually trying to do something," Sakura returned, her face red of anger as well. What was he thinking?!

Tsunade meanwhile tried not to laugh but that was easier said than done.

"And I don't like sitting down the entire day!" Sakura continued. "You know what wonders me?" When he didn't responded but only gave her an angry glare she continued. "I'm wondered why they even keep you at the Akatsuki! You're a lazy, ego centered, bulshitty **prick, **you never help someone out of free will and you don't even care about your teammate when he's captured and nearly killed! And not even to mention those ugly artistic creations of you…!"

She shouldn't have said that. Tsunade, who hadn't been able to speak out, saw a change in Deidara's attitude and felt the air around him change. Her eyes widened and she leapt forwards, between the two people, but was too late. Deidara had thrown himself on Sakura and had dragged them both to the floor, and was now kicking and punching every square inch of her body that he could find.

Sakura shrieked of pain when he hit her abs and then hit him between his legs with her knee again, forcing him to collapse on top of her. She rolled over so that he fell on the floor and then rested on her elbow, waiting for the pain to come. Seconds later an awful splitting pain shredded her body to pieces and Sakura and Deidara both clenched their teeth on each other, both bleeding out of wounds that they had inflicted on the other.

Tsunade pressed the red alarm button for the ANBU surveillance guards and then kneeled next to Sakura, helping her up half and healing her major wounds, while keeping an eye on the knocked out Deidara on the floor. Sakura spat out some blood on the floor and then pulled away from Tsunade's healing jutsu. The hokage gave her a puzzled look.

"Just let me be," Sakura muttered from between clenched teeth. She had bitten her tongue and spat out some more blood. She felt her abs hurt again but that was nothing compared to what she felt on the inside.

She shouldn't have let herself go like that. Showing emotions was a weakness, and he used that weakness to attack her. She kept forgetting that he was dangerous and lethal, and that he wouldn't hesitate in killing her by blowing himself up. She couldn't risk an explosion as they were in center of town and there were a lot of people around.

She looked at her free hand. But he let go of himself as well, she thought and she felt his fists connecting with her stomach again. She clenched her hands to fists. This is a no go. I wont be able to hold out longer next to him… she looked at Deidara who got up slowly and felt the tugging of the chain.

The chains started to hurt miserably whenever she thought about them and she mostly tried not to, but this time she had to. The glossy surface of the cuffs reflected some of the sunlight and if you didn't know what they could do then you could even call them pretty. The glass chains between the two handcuffs were a bit stretchable but still very strong and she wondered who had made these chains and why.

Then she felt the glass hurt her skin and she closed her eyes, trying to think about something else. Her thoughts twirled back and forth between the cuffs and Deidara, both subjects she wanted to forget about, and it didn't matter how much she tried. They kept coming back, haunting her and driving her crazy.

She didn't realize that Tsunade was talking to her until the Hokage carefully shook her shoulders. She gave Tsunade a foggy look and the Hokage sighed. "I'll repeat it once more. Listen carefully."

Several ANBU members came running in. Tsunade helped Sakura getting up while one ANBU member pulled Deidara up by his armpits. He groaned and then shook the ANBU off him, shifting uncomfortably. "I can stand for myself, thank you, hmm," he hissed and then he glared daggers at Sakura. She swallowed and then Tsunade started speaking.

"As Ibiki is still not back, we'll start the interrogation today. I had planned it around four but since you are here we could as well start immediately." She nodded at the ANBU guards and they all disappeared except for one who stood directly behind Deidara. "Now if you would please follow me…?"

* * *

**Sorry if it was a strange chapter! And i wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed or reacted again. **

**PS: I don't own Naruto**


	7. Akatsuki

**Okay, at first: Sorry for the delay in uploading a new chapter! But last week was holiday and now school has started and all, so my updates wont be as regular as they were last week. The next thing is that I corrected my little mistake: I called Ibiki Mizuki! I changed the names in the last chapters. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**Oh, and I dont own Naruto.

* * *

**

**Chapter seven: Akatsuki**

It was damp and foggy and the man dressed in black had trouble breathing. In his hand he held an orange mask that was cracked and damaged pretty badly, and his black cloak with red clouds was shredded at several places. He stumbled over a rock and fell on the floor, his chin connecting with the ground hard. He groaned and then looked up at the sky where stars were starting to appear.

There was merely one thought keeping him going to his final destination: Saving his master. After the Jinchuuriki hit him in the apartment he had passed out and the next thing he knew was waking up in an unknown forest with Deidara's clay creations all around him, dead and dried up. He had tried to make contact with his master but couldn't find him and had then wandered through the wood for an entire day, screaming and yelling for his master to find him.

And now he was another day further and heading for the nearest Akatsuki hideout, but his body was failing him. His knees trembled with every step and his breath hitched whenever he tried to jump trees. Also his remaining chakra was so low that he couldn't use it to run faster, and because he didn't have any food to eat he was forced to stumble over the forest ground, progressing but slower than ever.

"Tobi needs… to keep… going…" he muttered to himself, getting up. "Deidara-san… is… relying on… Tobi… and… Tobi is… a good boy…"

A shade jumped from the shadows and stood in front of the lying boy.

"Tobi? Tobi is that you?" Tobi looked up and saw another Akatsuki member standing in front of him, carrying an enormous sword on his back and with shark like eyes. He kneeled next to the fallen boy and lifted him on his back. "Lucky for you that I went out for a whiz…" he said while they started tree jumping. "We had already given you and Deidara up after the large explosion of a few days ago. Where is Deidara anyway?"

Tobi groaned. "Tobi doesn't know… Tobi needs to help Deidara-san, because… because Tobi is a good boy…!"

The other sighed. "Calm down a bit, Toby. Save your powers for later – you have a lot to explain." And he accelerated slightly, knowing that the boy on his back had already passed out of exhaustion and food shortage.

Soon they arrived at the hideout. A large rock was placed in the center of a large grass field in the middle of the wood and Kisame made his way towards it. He bowed forwards, careful to not let Tobi slip off his back, and then placed his hand on the rock.

"Kisame Hoshigaki, monster of Kirigakure," he whispered and then he lead some of his chakra into the rock. A faint light shone out of the cracks and then the rock split in two, revealing a stairway that lead down. Kisame got up again and then started to descend the stairs. As soon as he got far enough down, the rock closed itself above him, leaving Kisame behind in pitch black darkness.

"Shame that Itachi-san isn't here to light things up a little," he grumbled to himself. "Never realized how handy that Katon jutsu is." And he stumbled down the stairs, sometimes missing a few steps and nearly falling, until a very faint light could be seen at the end of the stairway. He walked through the corridor that started immediately after the stairs and stopped walking when he reached a large oaken door. The door was huge and reflected the dim light from several torches hanging on the walls. In the middle hung a large doorknob in the shape of a dragon head, and Kisame knocked on the door hard.

The eyes of the dragon started to glow and then the door opened, revealing a large round room with several chairs. A lot of the chairs were empty and Kisame closed his eyes in memoriam of his fellow Akatsuki members that had died in short period.

"Kisame! Finally back I see." Kisame looked up and saw that Zetsu had spoken. Zetsu had a split personality and could be very friendly some times, but he could also be extremely creepy and most members avoided him whenever he was grumpy. He could also retreat into his plant like body and not talk to anyone in days. Now, fortunately, his happy side seemed to be in control and Kisame greeted him.

"Yo. Look what I found on my way back," and he laid Tobi down in the center of the room. The remaining Akatsuki members got up from their chairs as they saw him, except for Itachi who simply looked at him. Tobi lay on the floor with his face down, his orange mask clamped in his right hand. "I was just about to go back when I sensed someone's chakra nearby," Kisame said. "And I went to take a look." He sighed. "The kid kept babbling about saving that pyromaniac…"

Zetsu, Pain, Konan and even Itachi became silent as they heard that. "We all know that Deidara isn't coming back," Pain said after a while to break the awkward silence. Not a real good decision and the air became thick of tension and awkwardness. "We all felt his chakra disappear after a quite large explosion." His Rinnegan eyes looked at every member one by one. "He is dead."

Kisame sighed and sat down. "What a shame. I always thought that Deidara's final big explosion would be a real killer." He looked at the others who nodded in approval.

"Do you al remember when Sasori was still alive?" Zetsu suddenly asked, and everyone looked at him. Zetsu chuckled. "Those two used to argue about that stupid art thing – last forever or not. Anyway, one time, things got really out of hand, and Deidara started yelling at Sasori that he would blow up the entire base. And an area of ten miles radius around him."

Kisame whistled. "You're serious."

Itachi sighed, sounding slightly annoyed. "Why do you care about it anyway," he asked, his voice as dark and melodious as always. "We've got a lot of things to do still, like catching the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and finish our plan." He lowered his voice. "And I still have some business with my little brother and his eyes." The corners of his mouth tugged upwards in a faint smirk. "_My_ eyes."

A very awkward silence fell on the remaining Akatsuki members after these words. Even though they were all wanted criminals with nothing good done, when Itachi spoke of his little brother his words were drenched in something that couldn't be described better than _bloodlust_. And although they had all killed several people, perhaps even the ones close to them, speaking in that way of your brother made them feel a bit uneasy.

Then Tobi, still lying on the floor, groaned and moved slightly. Pain cleared his throat and the others focused at him, again except for Itachi who was staring at the floor in front of him. "He should recover soon," Pain said with his dark tone. "Konan, you take care of him."

The only female member of the Akatsuki nodded and then made her way to Tobi, not speaking. She lifted him off the ground like it was nothing and then left the meeting room through a smaller door at the opposite side of the oaken one that Kisame had used to enter.

"Meanwhile," Pain continued, "We need to concentrate on getting the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki." He looked at Itachi. "Itachi. The Kyuubi jinchuuriki was your target originally. Deidara failed twice. I expect better from you." And he stood from his chair, signing that the meeting was over. The others also stood and then left through the same door as Konan had used before. The last one to leave the room was Kisame.

He looked at the floor, to the spot where he had put Tobi down before. There was something about Deidara's disappearance…. Something that wasn't quite right, but Kisame couldn't point it out. He frowned slightly but when he felt a faint headache coming up, he decided not to think about it anymore.

_Better yet_, he thought cheery while he made his way to his own room. _I've got a fridge full of beer. Time to get wasted, hehehe…_

_

* * *

_

**Sorry that's so short but this needed to be written. I'm already busy on the next chapter, and as it looks right now it will have more DeiSaku stuff! R&R!**


	8. Twisted Feelings

**And a new chapter! ****

* * *

**

Chapter eight: Twisted feelings 

Several days had passed since the tape accident. Several very useless days. Deidara refused to speak in the endless interrogations between him and Ibiki, and it didn't matter how hard they tried. As soon as Ibiki or Tsunade even coughed, Deidara clenched his jaws together and held his lips closed firmly. It was a pure hell for Sakura as well.

Sometimes they cranked up the heat in the interrogation room so high that there were little rivers of sweat running down Sakura's back and forehead. And several times they had plunged Deidara in ice cold water, holding him down for so long that Sakura started gasping for air as well. And after a while, they locked them up in a small room without windows or lightning for two days in a row, with merely water and bread to live on.

Tsunade had checked on them every hour, assuring Sakura that it would be over soon, and that she had nearly found the solution to the chains. But every time she said it, it sounded less convincing, and after a while Sakura had asked her to stop saying it as it made her depressed. Also did Deidara.

When they were in their apartment Deidara still refused to speak. The only things he said were things like "I'm hungry" or "I need to go to the toilet" – she always hoped he wouldn't say that – and further he remained silent. He was grumpy all the time and whenever Sakura said something, he growled and turned away from her. At first she found it delighting but she started to miss having conversations with people. Normal people. Not crazy, murdering blood lusting criminals, and especially not the one she was attached to. And what didn't exactly make things easier was the conversation she had had with Tsunade the night before. In the middle of the night, so that Deidara was asleep and she could talk without being heard.

-Flashback-

"Sakura…? Are you still awake?"

Sakura blinked a couple of times before answering. "Hai. I am, Tsunade-sama."

"That's good. There's something I want to discuss with you. It concerns Deidara."

Sakura worked her way up half, careful not to tug the chains too hard as she knew that that would wake Deidara up. Tsunade sat down on the other edge of the bed and looked at her hands.

"I think you have noticed that we cant seem to get Deidara talking," Tsunade said after a short while. Sakura simply nodded.

"I've talked about it with several of your friends and also with Naruto." The Hokage looked at Sakura and Sakura noticed the tense air around her. She started to feel uneasy. "And we've thought up something that might get Deidara to speak."

Sakura swallowed. "You mean… by torturing him?" She asked, her voice merely a whisper. To her relief, Tsunade almost immediately shook her head.

"No, not by torturing him." She sighed. "It's very hard for me to ask you this, Sakura, as it shouldn't be done by any shinobi or kunoichi. And you also need to realize that you can say no to this suggestion." She took a deep breath and then suddenly grasped Sakura's free hand, clenching it tightly. "We wondered if, maybe, you could get the information out of him, in a way only you can. In a way only a woman in your current situation can."

Sakura's eyes widened. "But, Tsunade-sama, I thought I had told you… I can't read Deidara's thoughts like he can read mine. I can hardly feel what he's going to do!"

Tsunade shook her head. "That's not what I meant, Sakura."

And after that, something cold wrapped itself around Sakura's chest, troubling her breathing and making her sweat in the cold night. She swallowed hard, and then felt Tsunade's hand tighten around hers.

"What I ask from you Sakura, is… is…" Tsunade now looked at her. "Is that you get close to Deidara. Real close." Sakura felt the palms of her hands getting sweaty, even the cold chained one.

"In what kind of way?" She asked, her voice trembling.

"…intimate."

The shock that had followed had been too worse to describe. Her heart had not only missed a few beats, her insides seemed to be torn to pieces and her eyes started to leak tears she didn't wanted to show. Her hands trembled uncontrollably and soon she lost the ability to speak as her throat felt thick with tears.

"You can say no to it," Tsunade said, bowing forwards, trying to make the girl feel easier. "It's your free choice. I cant and I **wont** force you into anything. Its just… a suggestion."

But Sakura knew better than that. Tsunade had gotten desperate. She simply couldn't say no to this suggestion. It was weak and very unlike a ninja to do, but as she looked into the desperate eyes of her Hokage, she knew that she had to agree. She had no choice.

"I'll do it," She whispered, her voice squeaky like an old door. "I'll do it."

-End Flashback-

She looked at Deidara. They sat on a small balcony the apartment had as well because Sakura wanted to get a bit of sunlight, and Deidara leaned back in his chair, staring at the blue sky without speaking. The sunlight reflected in his blue eyes and his blonde hair looked quite cool after Ino's metamorphosis. She sighed as she looked to the roofs of the city around her. What she wouldn't give to be able to know what he was thinking.

Man, Deidara thought. What I wouldn't give NOT to hear those kunoichi thoughts, hmm.

They kept flooding his brain on the most unwanted moments, like when he tried to sleep or concentrate on how to escape. He had been planning on sending a clay bird out, but the ANBU had taken his clay and for a weird reason, he couldn't mold his chakra for earth typed jutsus whenever he was in the apartment. And Sakura didn't help his concentration. If she wasn't making him crazy with her thoughts, then she would be chatting to him. She always wanted to chat with him, and if he didn't react she would simply go on babbling like he was some good friend of hers. And he was sure he wasn't.

He glared at her out of the corners of his eyes. Even though he hated to admit it, she was pretty. Her eyes were large and the green color of her irises was sparkling green, like the forests he used to fly over on his clay birds. Her nose was small and a bit jumpy but that gave her a slightly innocent look, that fitted perfectly with her nice shaped lips.

He looked at the sky again. Not even to speak over her body. The moment he ran against her in the shower, when she was showering for the first time, he had caught a glimpse of how she looked like. Nothing concrete, no details, merely an outline. He couldn't understand why she would hide her nice developed body inside large baggy jeans and shirts, and sometimes caught himself on imagining how she would look like in a short tight dress.

Like now. He saw Sakura in tight fitting jeans, with a low cut tank top above it and a naughty look on her face, and he felt the corners of his mouth tug upwards.

"Deidara?"

"Hmm."

"You… you have a nosebleed."

Deidara's eyes flew open. He quickly wiped away the evidence of his daydream – a large bloody stripe on the back of his hand – and then got up from the chair, slightly nervous.

"It's hot and I'm hungry, hmm. Let's go inside."

He was feeling quite warm but wondered if that was because of the sun. But his stomach didn't lie: he was hungry and needed some food. Sakura sighed.

"We're merely here! Besides, we've eaten breakfast just half an hour ago. You can't be hungry. I'm not, anyway, and I want to stay here a little longer."

He scowled at her and repeated what he had said before. "I'm **hungry**, hmm. I need food."

"You don't. Do you know when you need food? After ten days of not eating anything, or a long mission in the land of the Sand. Have I already told you about a friend of mine, Temari? Anyway, she lives there, and she tells me that the heat forces you to get hungry all the time. I don't know if she's right or if it's just a rumor, but if that's the case then I think you should never go to Suna or you would eat too much." She glanced at him and he gave her his most bored look. It didn't help.

"What reminds me, have you been eating any vegetables the last two days? It's not healthy if you haven't, you know. You could get ill easily and gain weight. Oh, and that's what Temari told me as well, because of the heat, you sweat more, and thus you lose weight easier. Isn't that great?"

"…yeah, right, hmm."

"I told Ino to go there since she's always dieting – but the trip is long and the only place you can stay comfortably is the Kazekage building. They've got airco, but Ino can't stand Gaara-san, and…"

"Please, please, would you just… shut up?" Deidara asked, closing his eyes in a last attempt to make her silent. Sakura stopped talking nearly immediate and her shoulders fell down. Then her eyes grew wide and sparkly and her face lit up.

"Hey! You just actually said something, you know that!"

Deidara gave her a death glare and quickly stopped the retort he was going to throw at her, giving her a stubborn look. Sakura tilted her head slightly and then stood from the chair. "Okay, okay, if you want to eat then go ahead – I wont." And they went to the kitchen, where Deidara shove three sandwiches inside on top speed.

Sakura felt like telling him that it wasn't good for you to do that but decided not to. On the inside, she was still way too busy with the entire "Get intimate with him" thing, and her brain was working on a way to change their current relationship. If there already was one.

"Let's make a pie or something," Sakura suggested when they sat outside again. This time Deidara turned his head very slowly and looked at her. His eyebrows were nearly flat against his eyes and Sakura giggled nervously. "Okay okay, no pie, no pie." She looked forwards again. "Let's go to town then. I know that we don't have to get the groceries ourselves, but I definitely need some fresh air and a good conversation with Ino."

Deidara groaned. "We are outside now, aren't we, hmm? Isn't this _fresh air_?"

Sakura shook her head and then got up from the chair again. Deidara remained seated and Sakura pulled the chain hard. "Come on, don't act so childish, Deidara-_kun_."

The words where out before she realized she had said them, and she clapped her free hand in front of her mouth. Deidara gave her a very, very interesting look and then – thank god – got up from the chair. "I'll go with you then. Don't expect me to talk against one of your friends or anything."

Sakura was about to say "Oh, don't worry, they wont talk to you anyway," but realized in time that that wasn't really a kind thing to say and she shut her own mouth.

"Are we going or what, hmm?"

"Oh yeah, right, let's go."

They left the Hokage building and Sakura took a deep breath of air. For some weird reason, the air felt better here. Unlike the always muggy apartment, the air was fresh and cooled her sweaty forehead. "I like this kind of weather," She sighed as they started walking through the streets. They walked as close to each other as possible, trying to hide the handcuffs.

Sakura tried not to think about the things people could think about a girl and a guy wearing handcuffs. Too perverted.

"You know," she continued. "when the wind tickles your face and blows through your hair."

Deidara snickered. "When I fly on one of my clay birds it feels like that, hmm. I don't have to wait for the right weather. A sunny day is enough, hmm."

Sakura froze slightly when he started about himself. This was the first time he actually spoke of something else than daily needs, and she felt like maybe even bringing this conversation to the point she wanted: Akatsuki. She felt slightly relieved as she realized that, if she succeeded, she wouldn't have to get intimate with him.

"Do you like to fly then?" She asked, trying to keep her voice the same as before. He grinned. "What do you think, hmm? Of course I like flying."

His voice slowly faded away and he looked at the sky, lost in his memories. "I used to fly together with Sasori-danna, and after that with Tobi as well, hmm," he muttered, obviously more to himself than to Sakura, but she could hear it. He looked down at his feet and then the clear feeling of guilt washed through Sakura's insides. She gave him a worried look and stopped walking, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Oy, are you alright?"

he frowned and shook his head. Then he suddenly seemed to realize that he was actually talking to a hostile, pink haired kunoichi, and Sakura saw the shield close again, being followed by a lot of hatred.

"What reminds me, hmm," he hissed, leaning over her. "You killed Sasori-danna. Together with that granny, hmm. And now that Jinchuuriki friend of yours killed Tobi as well…" his eyes became slits.

"you would have done the same if you had been in my position," Sakura said back, trying to let her voice sound normal and not irritated. "you can't blame me for doing it… although…" she swallowed. "I wouldn't… I don't think I can blame you for blaming me."

He gave her a slightly puzzled look.

"OY! YOU! Keep your filthy fingers of Sakura-chan, you exploding freak!"

Sakura closed her eyes. There was no doubt about who that was. Naruto. Deidara gave the blond ninja an examining look but decided that it was enough and leaned back again, putting his free hand in his pocket while his chained one hung relaxed next to him.

"Konnichi wa, Naruto," Sakura said, sounding tired. "It's alright. Deidara-kun and I… I mean, Deidara and I were just talking. Nothing to worry about!"

Naruto gave her a what-the-fuck-were-you-just-saying look and Sakura giggled, waving him off with her free hand. "Nothing, nothing…!"

"Anyway, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, obviously ignoring Deidara on purpose, "I would like to invite you to Ichiraku's tonight. Ino, Hinata and Lee are coming too. What do you think? Sounds great doesn't it!"

Sakura sighed. She couldn't say no to this either. She hadn't seen her friends for almost a week now and really needed some contact with them – besides, saying no to this would really insult Naruto and she didn't want to make him disappointed. "Okay, sounds good. What time?"

"So you're coming? Really?"

"Yes, we are."

"AHUM. I didn't hear myself saying that I would come too, hmm."

Sakura glared at him and then thought as hard as she could. _Please just come with me. I promise it wont be too bad. Naruto gets angry easily – besides, you can eat some more ramen there. You know, the food we had at our first night in the apartment_?

He seemed to need to think about that one until suddenly his face lit up. "Oh, ramen!" he said, and Sakura noticed a slightly cheerful tone in his voice. "In that case, I'll go with you, hmm."

Naruto sniffed. "Don't think that I like inviting you, you exploding freak," he hissed. "If you weren't chained to Sakura-chan then I would kill you right now, dattebayo." And he glared at Deidara, who glared back.

"Oh yea?" Deidara asked, his voice dark. "Then please let me remember you that you actually were the one to suggest using these chains, hmm."

Naruto swallowed and was obviously thinking of a suitable retort when Sakura decided that it was enough. "Stop it, you two," She said while stepping between them. "Just stop it, okay?"

Strangely enough, this remembered her of her time in Team 7, when Sasuke and Naruto used to argue about even the slightest things. She always had to stop them from fighting, and doing this again but this time between an enemy and her best friend felt very strange.

Naruto grumbled and Deidara sniffed. Then they both turned around, causing Sakura to twist at the spot by the sudden movement.

"Fine," they both said. "But I wont talk to him!"

Sakura sighed. "No I'm sure you don't. Now Naruto, if you would just let us, Deidara and I have to do some shopping." Naruto gave her a wide grin. "But, but, why don't you come with me, Sakura-chan?" he asked, and Sakura sweat dropped.

"What exactly are you going to do," She asked. "Because I don't feel like eating ramen at this time of day."

Naruto shook his head even before Deidara could say that he _would_ like a steaming portion of ramen, and he started speaking. "No, I was thinking about doing some training on the training grounds. I bet Neji and Lee are there as well, and I've asked Gaara to come there too-"

Suddenly he seemed to realize that he was actually asking an explosive expert to fight with him and he swallowed. Sakura noticed but before she could speak Deidara did so.

"How do you mean, Gaara, hmm?" he asked, a sharp undertone in his voice. "That guy was as dead as a mean could be, hmm! I know brcause I saw him die! I even sat on his corpse, hmm!"

Naruto gave him firstly a killing glare for bringing that up again, followed by a triumphant smirk. "Well, we revived him! And I do remember that I beat your ass hard, dattebayo!"

Deidara frowned and Sakura felt rage sweep through her, obviously coming from Deidara. "Um, Naruto, I don't think it'll be a good idea for Deidara to train together with Gaara-sama. You see, I don't think Gaara will just say "Oh, fine, I'll forgive him". Don't you think?"

But Naruto was blind for the risks of his plan. "Oh, that'll be alright. He has learned to control his anger and stuff after the Akatsuki ripped his Shukaku out – I'm sure he wont do a thing."

Sakura shook her head but Deidara stepped forwards suddenly, standing right in front of Naruto who didn't budge for even an inch.

"What?"

"Let me fight that Kazekage kid. Taijutsu, hmm. No genjutsu or ninjutsu. Plainly hand to hand combat."

At first Sakura thought that Naruto was going to reject, but when she saw a wide smirk appear on her friends face she knew that he wasn't going to do that.

"Ossu," he said and he punched the air. "Then let's traaaiin!!"

Sakura felt a bit ignored and stumbled after Deidara who had gotten as hyper as she was only used from Naruto. This time, the energetic waves coming from him didn't affect her as well and she felt more and more uneasy as they raced towards the training field just outside the city.

_Neji… Lee… even Gaara-san… they've all fought or at least seen Deidara. I hope Tsunade-sama informed them about our current situation or things might go terribly wrong._ She shivered. _If that isn't already going to happen. Gaara… I don't think he has changed a lot…_

Deidara glanced over his shoulder. "Still worrying, hmm?" he yelled as they passed the village gates and Naruto greeted the guards who greeted back. Sakura nodded, a deep frown etched in her face. _Do you really think it's a good idea to fight with the Kazekage of the sand – again? You beat him once but this time…_

He rolled his eyes. "I cant use my explosives, hmm. You guys from Konoha took my clay so explosives are out the question. And he'll only fight hand to hand, he wont use his sand." He seemed to think that over. "Or, at least, he better, hmm. But he doesn't seem the type to cheat with the rules. Besides…" A sneaky smile crept on his face. "I want to beat him again, hmm."

Sakura sighed. _Guys and their pride._

* * *

**Hope you all liked this one :) I've already started on the fighting scene but it's harder than I thought it would be. Anyways: See you all at the next chapter! **

**(btw: Feel free to R&R and I don't own Naruto)**


	9. Gaara vs Deidara again!

**I hadn't planned on updating this chapter today already, but I finished it yesterday evening and I didnt want to make you waiting! So now here's the battle scene. Enjoy :) **

**PS: I dont own Naruto**

**PPS: Some characters may be OOC, but I hope you'll forgive me!**

**

* * *

**

Chapter nine: Gaara vs Deidara – again! 

The training fields looked exactly as Sakura remembered, green, wide and open – perfect grounds to practice your ninja skills. The trees waved slowly in the nice breeze and the grass looked greener than ever. Two ninjas were already fighting with each other while a third – with flaming red hair – watched from a distance.

When they entered the fields the two fighting ninjas, Lee and Neji, stopped training and Naruto yelled. "OY! Guys! Look who's here!"

Sakura withstood the urge to close her eyes as she expected a sudden attack from Gaara and in that case she would need her eyesight very hard. She saw how the redhead slowly turned his eyes and then laid his jade orbs on the blonde chained to Sakura. A flash of sheer hatred shot through his eyes and the next moment sand shot out of his gourd, aiming for Sakura and Deidara.

Naruto yelled at Gaara to stop but Sakura felt that Gaara wasn't – or didn't want to be – able to stop in time, and then she felt Deidara tense the muscles in his upper legs like it were her own. She didn't have long time to think this sudden development over as she jumped up at exactly the same moment as Deidara did, evading the sand attack and landing in time to make a backwards flip to dodge another furious attack.

_My god_, Sakura thought as they landed again._ I never thought that these chains would affect my body as well!_ Deidara smirked at her when they entered another flaming sets of dodging moves to evade one after another attack from Gaara, and the redhead got more and more and more frustrated.

In a strange way, the chains made sure that Sakura and Deidara could add their eyesight and previous battle experiences together to form a solid and fast team, and they both dodged and evaded all of his attacks one by one. They were moving together like one body, very strange.

Then Sakura spotted a opening in his defense – or so she hoped – and she aimed for it. She felt Deidara's body moving at the exact rate of her own and a smirk played around her lips while she flipped and ran up to Gaara at a speed that one could only gain by inserting chakra in ones muscles. She heard Deidara utter a sheer cry of surprise and realized that he obviously wasn't able to do that on his own.

Then she jumped from the floor, and then they both hit Gaara's total defense sand, which smacked them back. But as they got up from the floor and saw Gaara's slightly surprised look, Sakura knew that they had been in the right direction.

But then there was no next attack from Gaara. Naruto had reached his friend and was now talking to him, and Gaara sometimes responded in his low and dangerous tone. Sakura and Deidara stretched their backs, still in perfect harmony, and then the weird new battle connection was gone, leaving only the normal chained situation.

"WOW! Sakura-san! I've never seen such a power of youth!" Lee exclaimed and he ran up to the couple. Neji followed him in a few feet and nodded at Sakura. "Nice work with the chakra link," he added. "I've heard from your situation although I couldn't believe that the chains would actually link your chakra systems." He smiled. "your chakra systems look very strange, intertwined like that."

Then Gaara and Naruto walked up to the others. Gaara with crossed arms and Naruto with an apologetic look on his face. "Gaara says he accepts the challenge from Deidara," he began but he wasn't able to finish his sentence.

"I still have some business with you," Gaara said, interrupting Naruto. Deidara nodded slowly. "And I with you, hmm, since you're alive again."

"Oh, oh, are we going to see another row of those fantastic dodging moves?" Lee asked, his voice sounding hyper. "They looked so solid and so… so harmonic!"

Sakura smiled nervously and stroke a bang of hair behind her ear. The chains also allowed them to fight together in such a way that they moved exactly the same way. The question was; when were they able to do that? And how could they trigger it?

"You do know, mainly taijutsu, hmm," Deidara said, taking off his shirt and sinking through his legs. To Sakura's relief he wore something beneath it so the ugly tattoo was covered, but she wasn't connected with his muscles as before and she made a clumsy attempt to mimic his movement. He glared at her from the corner of his eye while Gaara slowly loosened the heavy gourd from his back and then put of his shirt as well.

Sakura meanwhile got more and more tensed. She felt accelerated and exited feelings from Deidara, who obviously wanted to fight, but when she looked at Gaara's small eyes which were filled with rage and bloodlust, she felt like stopping them now. Her throat was dry and she swallowed several times but that didn't help.

"Okaay," Naruto yelled from the side of their small battlefield. "I'll decide whenever the battle is over. No use of weapons except for your own body – and Gaara, that includes a sand copy – and the winner will be the one to knock out the other. Ready? Set, Goooo!!"

Gaara remained at his impassive position but Deidara leapt forwards, rushing towards Gaara. Sakura, a medic nin and absolutely not used to these kind of attacks, felt slightly surprised when she was forced to run merely a heartbeat later than Deidara. What was he planning on? Had he made a plan or something to beat his opponent?

Deidara stumped towards Gaara's face but the Kazekage disappeared with a swift movement, appearing behind Deidara and intertwining his hands to smack Deidara full on his back. Sakura saw it though and, even before Deidara could recover from his failed attempt, Sakura jumped up, tugging Deidara with her in the air.

_Where's that connection_? She thought panicking when Gaara jumped up from the ground as well, following them into the air. _Where is it?!_

Then the time froze. Gaara was aiming for her directly – as he had possible remembered that inflicting damage to her would also damage his direct opponent. Fear rushed through her chest as she immediately calculated the damage from such a direct blow, and then she felt something click. She couldn't describe it better that that. It just felt like there was some sort of gate inside of her, and it opened at the moment the fear had reached it.

_Deidara! We're back!_

She dodged the kazekage's attack and then grabbed his wrist and pulled him down, launching herself into the air further. Deidara meanwhile did the same but then helped them getting down by tugging down, after the falling Kazekage. Of course Gaara landed on his feet safely to jump away from a kick of Deidara immediately. Sakura jumped over deidara's back with a fancy but also very implicated flip and then felt her feet connect with some part of Gaara's body, but she felt him dodge the attack with his body and then it disappeared. He ducked and Sakura flew over him, but Deidara had anticipated it. Gaara, meanwhile, had trouble watching two enemies at the same time and Deidara leapt forwards, his chained arm in the air to allow Sakura to stay in the air for a while more. His free hand aimed for Gaara's chest and missed it for inches as the Kazekage jumped back.

But there was Sakura. She landed on his shoulders and then kicked down with all her strength – no chakra – and he got smacked on the floor hard. But, with miraculous strength, he catapulted himself up again by using his hands and then immediately took a taijutsu stance.

Sakura and Deidara stood next to each other again, both panting lightly while looking at their enemy. "Deidara," Sakura whispered and Deidara nodded. "I'll think my suggestions okay? You just yell them out – I don't think he'll suspect something else from you."

To her surprise, Deidara didn't take that as an offense and he smirked. "Sure, hmm. Now let's kick some ass."

This time it was Gaara to attack, and Sakura saw that his green orbs flashed in something that she had only seen once before. Murderous intent. In the eyes of Sasuke whenever he spoke of his elder brother.

_Watch out,_ she warned Deidara while they both sank through their knees lightly to see what kind of attack he would launch. _He's in killing mode. We better dodge and wait for an opening and then use that to attack – agree?_

Deidara simply nodded and Sakura smiled. That mind thing was rather handy in battle situations.

Then Gaara launched himself at the two and tried to kick Deidara's legs out of beneath him, and succeeded half but Deidara jumped in time thanks to Sakura's dodging experiences. Meanwhile Sakura leapt forwards and tried to hit Gaara, but the redhead was too fast again and evaded her fist while kicking her in the abs. It was a direct hit but, thanks to Deidara who pulled her back by the chains, it didn't inflict too much damage but only smacked the air out of her lungs. Gasping for air, Sakura stumbled back while Deidara attacked Gaara with all he got, and when Sakura felt ready for action again she joined to help them.

_Deidara! Stay where you are, I have a plan,_ she thought as she hit Gaara on his shoulder lightly. _I go around him and try to hit him while you do the same, okay?_

"Okay!" He yelled, obviously confusing Gaara. And that was what Sakura had been waiting for. She ran around Gaara, hoping that Deidara would remain on his position even though she tugged the chains very hard now. When she had nearly made the entire circle, she withdrew her fist to get speed and power in her arm. _NOW!_

They both hit the Kazekage at the same time, from different angles, and Sakura felt a bone snap beneath her knuckles while Gaara gasped for air lightly. Still, he remained capable of ducking, standing on his hands and then kicking them away from each other and from him. He then jumped away from them and landed on the floor rather clumsily, breathing heavily.

"You," he hissed and he spat out some blood. He looked at Deidara and Sakura felt the air around him change dramatically. Suddenly it felt like the temperature dropped several degrees and Sakura and Deidara went back to their starting position; close to each other with both ready fists. _Something changed,_ she thought at Deidara who nodded.

"I think we pissed him off, hmm." He said and, to Sakura's surprise, he smirked. "Then perhaps this fight will finally get interesting."

_How do you mean? Haven't you been fighting with all you've got then?_

He laughed. "Of course I haven't, hmm. but that will change now."

Sakura swallowed and then looked at Gaara. I_ guess it's our turn again,_ she thought while the other part of her brain felt very disappointed with herself. He hadn't even been fighting at 100 percent, while she had been kicking and punching her ass off. She decided that she would start training more intensively as soon as she got freed from Deidara.

_If I even live to get freed from him,_ she thought while they rushed at Gaara again, who sank through his knees, ready to attack back. _Something has changed about Gaara... I can't realy define it but it doesn't look good. _

She knew what at the moment Sakura tried to hit him and he didn't jump back. Instead of that, he drew a kunai with a speed that a normal human shouldn't be able of doing, and the cold steel flashed in the sunlight. Sakura's eyes widened for a moment and then she did the only thing she thought of doing. Her fist was still traveling in the air, and at this rate, it would miss Gaara's right shoulder in inches.

So she grasped his shoulder while diving right a bit, dodging the kunai for as far as she was able to, then leaned in and grabbed his other shoulder as well. She noticed dragging Deidara closer but didn't care. This had to be quick. She saw Gaara's eyes widen as she tensed the muscles in her neck and completed her plan.

She smashed her forehead against his with all the power she had got left.

A loud thump and several shivers went through her head and spine before she let go of Gaara, who stumbled back and fell on the floor. For a few moments, Sakura thought she would be able to keep standing. But she wasn't. Soon her knees collapsed and she fell on the floor, and Deidara followed her within merely a second, breathing heavily while muttering curses under his breath. Soon Naruto's voice rang out from the sidelines.

"Since both fighters have passed out, there's no winner! It's a tie!"

Sakura closed her eyes for a moment. Soon Lee's voice woke her up.

"It was a good fight, Sakura-san! You and Deidara-kun fought great, even though Deidara-kun is an enemy. I have to admit it!"

Sakura smiled weakly while she and Deidara got up from the floor, their battle connection gone again. Deidara rubbed his forehead angrily while Neji walked towards them, his Byakugan activated and a grin plastered on his face. Sakura waved faintly at him.

"It was a good fight, Sakura, as Lee already said," Neji said and he stopped walking in front of them, deactivating his bloodline limit. Sakura heard Deidara hiss and poked him in the side lightly. "Although the end was a bit… unsuspected."

"He used weapons, the bloody cheater, hmm," Deidara hissed, eyes still glaring daggers at a certain redhead that got up from the ground several feet away from them, with Naruto and Lee next to him. "If he hadn't, I would've been able to defeat him, hmm."

"It did seem so." Neji nodded. "But he was outnumbered."

"Would you please not say that, hmm?" Deidara blurted at Neji. "I beat him once, so I'm still better than he is."

Neji frowned. Sakura rolled her eyes while looking in his eyes. Deidara noticed but decided to do nothing else about it then just clamping his teeth together and stubbornly looking another way.

"Anosa, anosa, Sakura-chan,"

Sakura looked at Naruto who came running towards them from Gaara. The Kazekage obviously refused to come with him, as he walked towards Lee and asked him several things.

"What is it, Naruto," Sakura asked, her voice tired. "I'm kinda tired right now."

"I know, I know, I just wanted to ask you about Ichiraku's tonight. You're still coming, are you?"

Sakura nodded. "Of course."

Naruto grinned widely and then gave Sakura a bear hug. She nearly suffocated and saw Deidara experiencing the same as his face got pink. "Thank you Sakura-chan," Naruto said, his voice sounding thrilled. "Then I'll see you tonight around eight, at Ichiraku's. And for now," he pointed behind him, not really in a specific direction. "I guess I'm going to train some more. You're welcome to join us."

"No thanks, Naruto. I'm pretty exhausted and I guess Deidara's too – besides, I've had my share of battle rage for today. I've been out of the training for quite a while and this fight pretty tore me up."

Naruto nodded, understanding the situation. Then Sakura said goodbye and she and Deidara turned around to walk away, when Naruto suddenly blurted, "Deidara,"

They turned around. Naruto was frowning deeply and was obviously having some kind of inner fight. "You… you fought well, too." And with those words, he turned around and joined to fake battle of Neji, Lee and Gaara, not looking around anymore. Deidara raised his eyebrows.

"That was strange, hmm."

"Sure was," Sakura added, staring at Naruto's back. She didn't know what Deidara had actually done to make Naruto feel better about him. For as far as she knew, Naruto never stopped hating a person if he ever did.

_Well maybe this'll be an exception,_ she thought as she nodded at Deidara and they started walking back to the village, not really with a destination. She looked at Deidara and then suddenly felt something in her stomach, twirling around, making her blush and look down at her feet, confused. _I kinda hope this will be an exception. I cant help but hope that people will accept him… I don't know why. Do I?_

But as she looked at him more intensively, she knew why. It was because of the way he looked. He looked so… so handsome. So relaxed. His blonde hair pretty messed up, but just giving him some sort of bad guy look that made her shiver till the deepest part of her soul… and then those blue eyes that seemed to pierce right through her and which reflected endless blue skies with cream white clouds. She sighed. Something about his entire appearance made her dream of flying.

"If I was able to make my birds, I could take you flying once, hmm." Deidara suddenly spoke, and Sakura's cheeks flushed even more as she realized he had been watching and reading her thoughts.

"really?" she stuttered, looking at him. He smiled at her. "You seem so obsessed with flying. I cant blame you though, hmm. It really is the experience of a lifetime."

Sakura looked in front of her. They had entered the village gates and were now walking through a busy shopping street, several stores opened and some closed. She walked closer to Deidara, with the thought excuse that it was because she wanted to hide the handcuffs.

She felt his hand against hers and withstood the strange urge to grab it and hold hands; it was just too strange. But she wanted to, in a strange way, even though she couldn't do that. She wasn't – no, wait. She frowned. In fact, she was allowed to do that. To be exact, she was obligated to.

She swallowed and then carefully slid her hand in his, feeling his warm skin and soon goose bumps appeared on her arms. He gave her an quizzical look.

"What's that for, hmm?"

"Nothing, really. Just… just because."

"Oh."

It remained silent for a couple of seconds while they kept walking. Sakura still felt very strange and her stomach was making flips and loops and all other kind of acrobatic stunts, when Deidara spoke again.

"You sure you wanna hold my hand?"

She looked in front of her, a blank expression on her face. "Kind of, I guess."

He smirked. "Then I hope you've thought about my bloodline limit, hmm."

Sakura froze.

She hadn't.

* * *

**Okay the next chapter will take a bit longer to update since tomorrow weekend's over, but I hope you all liked this one anyway! If you've got questions about their "Battle connection", just ask me coz it might be a bit foggy. And thanks everyone for the reviews!**


	10. The Inconvenient Truth

**First of all, SORRY for the enormous delay! This chapter was terribly hard to write, and I guess that I rewrote it for at least four times. Also I found myself a bit stuck on the plot line, so I took a day or two to think about what is going to happen next. But now I think I've got it, so I hope that I'll be able to update sooner. **

**But before actually starting on this chapter, I wanted to make sure that everyone knows what Sakura's and Deidara's battle connection means, and what it does. I read the last chapter over and decided that it wasn't very clear, so here's some information. **

**It's like this. Sakura and Deidara's normal chained situation is already given. Their organs and vital functions are connected, and if one person's left kidney (by example) gets damaged, the other will experience exactly the same, etc etc. **

**But when they enter a battle, things get different. I guess that the trigger for this special connection is fear in (or not) combination with adrenaline. As soon as that happens, the cuffs increase the level of connection. What means that not only their organs and vital functions are connected, but also their brains and muscles, making them move like they're one body. Also Deidara can use Sakura's medic jutsus and Sakura Deidara's explosive jutsus and so on, because this link allows them to add up previous battle experience to form quite a good team! **

**I hope this made things a bit clearer. If not, feel free to contact me and, if necessary, I'll make another comment out of it. **

**And now, finally, the tenth chapter! Enjoy :)**

**Chapter ten: The inconvenient truth**

It was way too warm. Not just warm: hot. The heat made Sakura sweat lightly and she moaned as she slowly woke from a very fuzzy dream she had had during the night. She yawned and then opened her eyes lazily, forced to blink several times before she could actually see what she was looking at.

Skin. She was looking at skin, and from such a close up that she couldn't even focus. She tried to pull her head away but found herself rather stuck against a wall. She frowned and then looked up, seeing Deidara's sleeping face. His mouth was opened slightly and his breathing was deep and slow, and his eyes were calm beneath their lids. For a few seconds, Sakura simply looked at him.

Why are we sharing the same bed? She thought, her brain not yet ready to define what that could mean. Is that the reason why it's so hot here? Because he's nearly suffocating me?

She shifted a bit so that she could use her free hand – she lay on her right side – and then carefully pushed him away so that she could breath in some fresh air. He groaned and frowned in his sleep but slept on, and Sakura carefully inhaled a lot of cool air, sighing of relief.

How exactly did she get here? Oh, yeah… Ichiraku's. She smiled as she recalled the event of yesterday evening. It had been real nice, being together with Ino and Hinata, and they had chatted about everything she had been wanting to tell about. When Deidara wasn't listening, she had told Ino about the promise she had made to Tsunade sama.

-Flashback-

Deidara was eating his fourth bowl of ramen when Sakura found the opportunity to talk freely with Ino. She scooted a bit to the right, towards the blonde, and then pushed her arm slightly. Ino looked up from her ramen while all the noodles still hung on to her chopstick, but she quickly swallowed them when she saw Sakura's troubled look.

"Something wrong, forehead?" She asked when she had cleared her mouth and she carefully wiped off her lips on a napkin. Sakura nodded slowly, paying close attention to Deidara who luckily seemed to have gotten into a deep conversation with Naruto about ramen.

"Actually, there is, yes," she whispered. Ino's eyes widened and the girl leaned in closer, looking worried.

"Is it… does it concern…"

Sakura nodded and the blonde looked even more frightened. Really? She mouthed, obviously unable to speak. Sakura took a deep breath and then told her what she had wanted to tell anyone for the past week.

"In order to get information out of Deidara, I have to… I have to…" she swallowed, and then decided that it was better to just get over with. "…I have to get intimate with him."

Ino's eyebrows nearly disappeared beneath her hair and her jaw dropped to the floor while staring at Sakura. "You're kidding me."

Sakura shook her head and Ino kept staring at her, a startled look on her face. Sakura heard Naruto laugh next to her and quickly glared over Deidara's head to see what he was looking at. To her relief, he hadn't been able to hear what she had said to Ino, and he was currently talking to Deidara.

"…and you can make fireworks too? That's frickin awesome! How long have you been able of doing that?"

Deidara shrugged, a smirk on his lips. "Ever since I could use my bloodline limit, hmm. I just never paid real close interest to it." He chuckled. "Somehow I like explosives better."

Naruto grinned. Before he could speak though, Hinata did, to the surprise of the others. She looked at Deidara shyly and then cleared her throat.

"Can you… c-can you m-make some fireworks, s-someday? Pl-please?" and she putted her fingertips together in a way only Hinata can. Not knowing Hinata, this surprised Deidara and he quickly emptied his mouth.

"Uh, I guess so, hmm."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "I don't think Tsunade-sama will let you touch anything close to explosives, Deidara," She said teasingly. "I bet that you'll blow up this city when you lay your hands on something like that." And she poked him in the side, making him flinch. He swore and then gave her a soft shove, and Sakura laughed.

Meanwhile Ino was still staring in front of her, to her half full bowl of ramen, with a face that said I'm-not-hungry-anymore-thanks-for-the-information. Sakura noticed as soon as she got able of sitting safely without Deidara pushing her bar chair over all the time.

"Oh come on, Ino, it's not that bad," Sakura said to her best friend, trying to keep the conversation light. Unfortunately that didn't succeed as Ino gave her a startled look. "Not so bad? How can you just say that!"

"Hmm?" Naruto looked up from behind Deidara's head and gave the two girls a puzzled look. Sakura gave Ino a quick warning glare to please not say anything anymore and she turned around to face Naruto.

"Nothing, nothing, Ino and I… we had a little quarrel about something unimportant. Don't worry about it."

Naruto smiled at her. She and Ino argued a lot so why would he care? "Sure, Sakura-chan! Then, Hinata, what I was saying…"

Sakura sighed and then turned around to Ino, giving the blonde a disappointed look. Ino stared at her feet. "Sorry," she muttered. "It's just… I thought you and Sasuke had something together. Isn't this plan coming between that a little… or something like that?"

Sakura frowned. "It's for the sake of the city, Ino."

"Yea, but… but then it can still be ugly, you know that."

"I know."

-End flashback-

And now she was lying here, in bed, together with Deidara. Slightly shocked she looked at his face and then her eyes automatically traveled lower, to his chest. She sighed of relief when she saw that he was wearing a shirt and then checked herself. To her relief she was also wearing one of her favorite pajamas.

Phew. Nothing has happened. She blushed. But… why do I feel a bit disappointed…?

As often happened, her thoughts woke Deidara up. He moaned and then stretched out half, only using his left hand. "Morning," he muttered, eyes still closed. "God, it's warm here, hmm."

Sakura smiled silently. "Sure it is."

It remained silent for a few minutes. Sakura was silently counting the seconds until he would realize that they were sharing a bed, but the suspected reaction didn't come. After a while she looked at his face and saw that he was looking at her. Her cheeks went pink and she looked back again.

Why are you staring at me like that?

He snickered. "Oh, nothing, hmm. I'm still a bit… sleepy." And to strengthen his words, he yawned deeply. "And boy I still feel stuffed from yesterday evening, hmm. That Jinchuuriki friend of yours sure now where to eat."

"tell me about it," Sakura laughed, relaxing now he had changed the subject. "He used to drag me around all the time like that, until…"

She stopped talking. "Until what, hmm?" Deidara asked and he scooted a bit to the right, giving Sakura some more space to lie on. She blushed deeply. She had been planning on saying "Until Sasuke and I started dating", but those words would definitely not be appreciated by Deidara.

"Until Sasuke disappeared," She lied, hoping that he would take it. "Now that he's back though Naruto starts to get as cheery and happy as he was before that."

"Aha. And… that's good progress?"

Sakura laughed. "Well, compared to his depressed self for the first few days after Sasuke had left and he had been unable to stop him, this is sure better." She got still. "He… he was so disappointed in himself back then. You must know that he had promised me to bring Sasuke back, and he failed. So he thought that I was disappointed in him, too."

Deidara raised an eyebrow. "You weren't, hmm?"

She shook her head. "Not at all."

This puzzled Deidara. "Why not? He didn't succeed in what he had promised you, and from what I've seen and heard yesterday evening he's not the type of guy to break promises, hmm. I don't see why you weren't angry with him."

"Simple," Sakura sighed. "He had done everything he was able of back then. He had really given everything, and when Kakashi found him he was more dead than alive. Truly, he couldn't have done more than that, and so I was grateful to him. Besides, I couldn't be angry with him, because I hadn't done anything to get Sasuke back." She bit her lip. "I just pleaded and cried for Naruto to bring him back."

Deidara made a surprised little sound and Sakura looked at him. "What?"

He shrugged. "You just don't seem the type to not do anything, hmm."

Sakura smiled. He didn't know it, but that was one of the largest compliments one could give her. Saying that she didn't seem the type to let others do the dirty work, and hearing that from Deidara from all people amazed her.

"Anyway," She said, getting up. "I'm actually kind of hungry. And it's bad to skip breakfast – what do you think? Shall we go and have breakfast?"

He moaned. "Five more minutes, please. I'm still not completely awake, hmm."

Sakura grinned. "No way, you slacker. Out of bed, rise and shine! The sun has already awoken and it's time to traaaaaaain!!"

She used one of Lee's favorite sentences and jumped out of bed, pulling Deidara from beneath the covers onto the floor. He made loud comments on her actions and swore foul when his head hit the door on their way to the kitchen.

"You bitch, hmm! Stop it right now or I'm going to kill you!"

If his voice hadn't had a teasing undertone in it, Sakura should have been afraid. But she wasn't and she pulled him further, over the hard ground until she had nearly reached the kitchen. But then Deidara was able to get up from the floor and he jumped up, grabbing Sakura and dragging her down to the floor. Sakura let out a cry of surprise and then pushed him off her, grabbing a pillow from the couch and then pressed it full in his face when he was about to assault her again. He roared and then took the pillow to hit Sakura himself. She laughed and dodged a couple of "attacks" before she landed a direct hit in his face.

"oooh, you're cheating, hmm!" Deidara yelled as he got up and tried to hit Sakura again. She laughed at him. "No way! Suck it up, I'm better than you at this."

He smirked. "Oh yea? Let me prove you wrong, hmm."

They re entered their small cushion fight and again Sakura was having the overhand as she ducked swiftly and smacked Deidara against the side of his head several times, using the same technique over and over. Just when she was wondering why he kept falling for it so easily, he attacked.

He suddenly leapt forwards and ran against her, toppling down on the floor with Sakura lying beneath him.

"Mercy, please, mercy!" she yelled, crying with laughter. He grinned, panting, while he held her hands down by her wrists and looked at her face.

He didn't let go of her.

"Ano, Deidara," Sakura said, blinking away tears of her laughing. "you can let me go now, you know." And she smiled at him. But he didn't return her smile. Not at all. He was simply looking at her with a look in his eyes that she couldn't exactly define. "…Deidara."

Then she realized that the game was no longer innocent. It had changed into something else, and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not. Not that she had much choice as he was still pinning her down to the floor with inhuman strength. She made an attempt to get away from him but he simply increased the pressure and kept her down.

He looked at her and Sakura felt his breath on her face. It smelled like peppermint.

"Please forgive me, hmm."

She frowned. "Forgive you for wh-"

He leaned in and then crushed his lips on hers, so hard that Sakura felt her teeth clang against his, and Sakura, flinched by the sudden action, didn't react but simply stared at his eyes which were now merely an inch away from hers.

Then he pulled back and got up, not even waiting for Sakura to do the same. Her body felt numb as she got up and followed him into the kitchen like a zombie. He had just kissed her. Plainly out of nothing, he had possibly acted on a whim and broke an invisible barrier that they had both created during time.

She didn't know what she should do with it. Be glad because this made things easier for her, or be worried and feel guilty because his kiss had triggered things inside of her that she had never experienced before when Sasuke had kissed her. And she had gotten a lot more intimate with Sasuke than a kiss like this, as this could still be seen as a friendly kiss although it was definitely not meant like that.

Or wasn't it?

Deidara started searching through the cupboards and took out all kind and sorts of things like flour, eggs and milk, and then bowed forwards to get a large bowl out of a lower cupboard and placed it on the bar. Sakura, still not able to react properly, simply stared at what he was doing.

"Do you like pancakes, hmm?" he asked out of the blue, and it took Sakura a few seconds to answer. "Uh… yeah."

"Good."

He continued with what he had been doing and Sakura followed every movement, while inside of her something started to boil. His kiss had activated something inside of her, something that she couldn't control and didn't know she had. It had started in her stomach and was now steadily making its way up to her brain, and with every inch it proceeded, Sakura felt more and more accelerated.

She longed for something like that. No, she longed for kissing him back, to end what he had started, to state that his invitation had been accepted. She looked at his neck, staring.

To make sure that he knew that his action hadn't been a futile one. And at the same time she felt getting angry. With herself for not reacting when it had been easy, for him to break apart so fast.

It should have been longer, she thought, feeling the strange feeling coming closer and closer to her brain. It should have been longer. He should have made it longer. I should have done something.

She saw a drop of sweat run down his neck and felt something jump in her stomach as she suddenly fantasized about kissing the same skin where the drop sweat had just left. A little part of herself wondered where these sudden feelings came from and why she wanted to get physical with him so badly, but the larger part of her didn't think about that.

"Thin pancakes or thick ones?"

She didn't respond, simply stared at him. He turned around, and Sakura immediately noticed a bit of flour on the tip of his nose. The white stood out against his slightly sun tanned skin and again she felt her stomach jump.

"Thin… or thick, hmm? What do you want?"

She looked up at his eyes again. Something clicked inside of her head as the strange feeling had reached her brain and her entire being went blank. "You," she panted and then she couldn't hold herself back anymore. She stepped forwards, grabbed his neck and pulled his head towards her, crushing her lips on his, kissing him like she had never kissed someone before.

His reaction wasn't exactly as she had expected. He jerked his head back and pushed her away from him with his free hand, glaring at her with angry eyes. "You want me? What the hell are you talking about, hmm?"

Even though Sakura felt embarrassed and disappointed, this angered her.

"What I'm talking about? You were the one to start this, remember? Why are you blaming me for this?" She felt tears coming up in her eyes, hot angry tears. "I don't know what got into me… but I do know that you are responsible for this."

He seemed to find what she had said amusing and he snickered. This pissed Sakura off and she stepped forwards until her chest nearly touched his and her face was so close to his that it was nearly intimidating. Of course not for Deidara, who simply stared back into her eyes with a satisfied smirk.

"Do you find this amusing?" Sakura hissed, her voice dark. The right corner of his mouth tugged upwards.

"No I don't."

Sakura's eyes slid to slits. "Then why are you laughing?"

He chuckled softly and then put his hands on her hips, turning her around and pushing her against a nearby wall. Sakura's breath hitched as he made circles on her skin with his thumbs and leaned in closer.

"I like it when you're angry," he whispered in her ear. "I think angry women are attractive."

Confused by his sudden mood swing, Sakura didn't know what to say. She froze when he kissed her ear and then snuggled his head in her neck, trailing kisses down her skin and now touching the skin on her back.

"Deidara," Sakura muttered, still heavily confused. "…why are you doing this?"

"Because I want to, hmm," was the simple answer. Sakura didn't get it at all.

First he kisses me out of nothing. Then he acts like nothing happened. When I kiss him back he pushes me away. And now he's… doing this…?

He pulled back from her neck and looked her right in the eyes. His chained hand took hers in his and then pushed it against the wall, next to Sakura's head, while he stroke her chin with his free one. "Why do you have to know all the reasons behind everything, hmm?" he whispered, his eyes lingering over her face. "Let me just… do this…"

And then he kissed her lips. It was a soft kiss, not like the one she had just given him, and his hand rested on her chin in a way that was so intimate and so sweet that her heart melted under his touch. She shivered and then nearly sank through her knees.

Deidara wrapped an arm around her to prevent her from falling but kept his lips on hers all the time. Then he tilted his head slightly. Sakura knew what this was going to be and suddenly she started to hesitate. Was this what she wanted? Would she be able to keep control on this as soon as he started to do things that were more than she had ever done?

She decided that it wasn't time for this. This was going too fast.

She pushed him away from her, gently and then stared at his feet, afraid to look in his eyes and see what kind of look he would give her. "…sorry," she muttered after a while. He didn't respond nor did he undertake any action. He simply stood in front of her, his hand still on her cheek, his body still close to hers.

"It's just… I don't think I'm ready for this yet. It's going… too fast, you understand?"

She saw that he smiled. "It's okay, hmm. I understand."

Sakura looked at his face to see if he was lying. Normally he would never submit to her, not even in their endless quarrels over the most stupid things. And now he just seemed to say "Okay, maybe a next time"?

Is it really Deidara I'm talking to? Sakura thought, still a bit amazed by the sudden change of character. He smirked.

"I haven't changed a bit, hmm. I'm just fricking hungry. Will you help me with this, hmm? To be honest with you, I haven't made these things for ages. Normally I would just ask Tobi to do it…" he chuckled while he slowly stepped back from her and then they both walked towards the workspace, starting on the mix again. Meanwhile Deidara kept talking, an Sakura made sure that she listened in very carefully. She wasn't going to miss a word of what he was saying.

"Last time Tobi made me pancakes seems ages ago, hmm," Deidara sighed while he took the salt and dropped a tiny amount of the white powder into the mix. After that he stared in front of him, absentmindedly. Suddenly he grinned. "That jerk had put in the entire jar of salt, hmm. They tasted… awful."

Sakura giggled. "To be honest with you, I've never eaten things like these before. This mix looks weird – way too thin."

Deidara raised an eyebrow. "Too thin? But that's exactly how they should be, hmm. We're not going to drink this stuff or something. We're going to fry it."

This puzzled Sakura enormously. "Bake it? This fluid?" she looked at the bowl and then carefully moved it around a bit. The crème colored mix inside of it moved along with it and she frowned before looking at Deidara. "That's just strange."

He smirked. "Wait and see."

Twenty minutes later, Sakura and Deidara sat behind the table with a steaming plate in front of them. Deidara had searched for something that he called syrup, although Sakura had never heard of it, and he had been quite pissed of when he hadn't been able to find it. So, because, according to Deidara, pancakes needed sweetness, he had taken a jar with sugar and put that on the table, and now he was putting the sugar on a thin paper like thing on his plate, and Sakura watched him.

Then he rolled the pancake up and was about to take a large bite when he saw Sakura staring at him. Sakura, feeling a bit ashamed of herself for staring at him like that, looked away.

He smirked.

* * *

**it's a bit of an odd ending but this chapter really needed to be ended. I hope to see you again at the next chapter! (I don't own Naruto and please R&R:) )**


	11. Meeting of the Kages

**Chapter eleven: Meeting of the Kages**

-A day back, around two in the afternoon –

It was very noisy in the conference room of the Hokage building, first floor. The large shiny stone table in the centre of the round room was surrounded by several large chairs, made from the same material. Most of these chairs were taken by men and women that looked important, and all of the ones that sat on the chairs were accompanied by two others standing behind the chair. Tsunade sat on one of the chairs, with just one person behind her: Shizune.

Tsunade's eyes snapped to Kankuro and Temari, who both stood behind a very empty seat, looking tensed. And that was exactly where all the others were talking about.

Gaara wasn't there.

"Temari. Kankuro. I ask you once more," Tsunade said, her voice tired. "Where is Gaara? He is supposed to be here, and if I'm not mistaken then he was with you this morning."

Temari shrugged, her eyes continuously flying from Tsunade to the door. "I… I don't know, Hokage, I really don't. This morning, at breakfast, he was still with us. But… but he left for something in town and… and he didn't come back, so we thought he was here…"

"…but he isn't!" Tsunade yelled, getting up from her chair. "The fact that he isn't a Kazekage for that long time doesn't mean that he can just not show up on meetings."

Temari bowed her head. "I'm terribly sorry for my Kazekage's behavior," she whispered, her cheeks pink of shame. "But I just don't think there's very much we can do about it."

"But that's simply insulting, un," a broad shouldered and dark haired man spoke, his small but intelligent eyes looking hard. His beard and hair was a bit fuzzy and his skin was dark from the sun, although his speech said that he was indeed from the northern countries. "It's not easy being a Kage, un, but he should be here. He insults us all by not showing up."

"I agree."

"So do I."

Temari's eyes widened. Baka Gaara, she thought, slightly scared. If this is going to cost our alliance with Konoha then he wont have an easy time when we get home. And that doesn't only count for the councils, hmpf! "As I already said," she muttered, trying to silence the kages and their people. "I offer my apologies for his bad behavior and-"

A loud bang made everyone in the room look up. Temari shut up, slightly shocked, when the doors flew open and a very angry and stressed Gaara came striding in, eyes dark and a large bloody stripe going from his left cheek to his left shoulder. When his eyes met Temari's, she knew she shouldn't say a word to him. Like he was now, he could explode any minute.

He sat down while all the others still stared at him, most of them with open mouths and puzzled looks on their faces. You could nearly hear them think: how did a Kazekage get hurt? But they were all too afraid to ask him.

After a while Gaara sighed. Temari let out her breath that she wasn't aware she had been holding. It seemed like it was safe for them to speak again without him destroying the room. Even though he was finally rid of his Shukaku, his mood could swing from happy and friendly to "explosive: DANGEROUS" within merely seconds. Silently Temari blamed his lack of sleep of this.

"Did I miss anything?" Gaara asked with a tone that said so clearly and-don't-you-dare-say-I-did-miss-something that everyone quickly shook their head. Even the tough looking northern guy didn't say anything but merely looked at him. "Then let's start. I would like to know why I was called here."

And there Gaara found some support. The northern man nodded his head in approval, and so did the one next to him, a very thin and long woman with sharp features and a slightly bluish skin. "Yess indeed," she said with a whistling s. "It wass a long journey and I would like to know the reassson for being here."

Tsunade nodded, and then placed her head on her intertwined hands like she always did when she was going to explain something. "At first I want to thank you all for getting here so quickly. I'm really glad to be able to discuss this with you." The others nodded to sign that she continue. "But the reason that we're here together does not concern a war or food shortage, like normal. The reason lies deeper."

Kankuro poked Temari in the side lightly and the blonde looked at him. "What?"

"Why isn't that pink medic ninja here?" her brother asked, a frown etched in his face. "I thought that she had a pretty high rank here in this city. She should be here, don't you think?"

Temari looked at Tsunade and then her jaw dropped. "My god, Kankuro. You're right!"

Her brother sniffed. "That does tend to happen sometimes, you know."

Temari didn't react on this retort. Her brain was working top speed. She didn't see Sakura very often, but she and the medic got along pretty well and it was indeed strange that Sakura wasn't present at the meeting. She was disturbed in her thoughts when Tsunade started talking again.

"I take it that you are all well informed about the organization Akatsuki?" Tsunade asked, and the others nodded. Temari noticed that Gaara clenched his fist and sweat dropped. She had to stand ready to hold him back. Whenever someone spoke of the Akatsuki, Gaara got angry like hell, and she couldn't really blame him. After all, one of them killed him once.

"We managed to capture one after he made a failed attempt to kidnap our city's Jinjuuriki, Naruto Uzumaki. There's only one problem about this kidnap."

"Then what is it? You've captured an Akatsuki member, so you should be able to interrogate him and then get the information you want, right?" Gaara asked, his voice slightly higher pitched than normal, signing that he was definitely accelerated about the subject. "and if he doesn't speak then you just torture him. It's not like he wouldn't do that to you if you were captured by them."

The Northern nodded. "That's right, un. I do not see the problem."

Temari bowed forward slightly until she was nearly at eye level with Gaara. "Gaara," she whispered. "Perhaps you better remove that bloody stripe on your cheek. It kind of… distracts the others."

He gave her an angry glare but did remove the stripe by wiping it away with his sleeve, not paying attention to the blood that had now officially ruined the Kazekage robes.

"The problem lies in the fact that we can't torture him to get the information, and he wont speak out of free will." Tsunade sighed. "In order to get him here safely, one of the ninjas that captured him chained herself to the Akatsuki to bring him here."

Temari looked up. Had she just said she? A chilly feeling clamped itself around her chest. There was only one female ninja that was good enough to compete with an Akatsuki member, and that was Sakura. She had proven that once, so it would only be logical if she was the one to capture the Akatsuki member. But… why wasn't she here?

"And there's a problem with those handcuffs," Tsunade continued. "I did some research but I cant seem to find them. Does the name Glass Chain say something to you?"

The slim blue woman gave Tsunade a shocked look. "Glassss Chain? Are you ssure?"

Tsunade nodded. "Positive. After the kunoichi in this case chained herself to the Akatsuki, the chains started to act odd. They connected the two to each other in a way we cant break, and the chains link their chakra systems and nerves to each other. What means that we cant hurt the one without hurting the other, and vise versa."

Gaara let out a groan and everyone looked at him. "So that's why they fought together," he muttered, looking extremely pissed off.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Fought?"

The redhead nodded slowly. Temari tensed immediately and slid her hand around a kunai in her pocket, just in case. Gaara raised his hand. "No need for that," he said, and Temari got a color and quickly let go of the kunai. Her brother indeed was a very skilled ninja. "I fought with the Akatsuki member you are speaking of," he said to the others. "…twice. The last time was about half an hour ago."

It got very silent. Tsunade frowned and Gaara continued. "He challenged me to fight him hand to hand, nothing else." He smirked. "He didn't stand a chance. But there was this other ninja that was there too. A female one, with pink hair."

Temari froze. Now there was no exception. Sakura had chained herself to an Akatsuki member and linked them in a way that there is no escape! That was horrific!

"I had to fight both of them. I didn't know why, and I didn't care. I wanted revenge for him beating me once." He grinned. "And I succeeded."

"But who is this Akatsuki member, un?" The Northern shrieked, not following the conversation, which was understandable. "And what does my country have to do with it?"

"It's Deidara," Tsunade said, feeling that she was loosing her grip on this conversation. "Deidara from your country. He's a missing ninja that fights with-"

"...explosives, yes." The Northern closed his eyes and leaned back, a sad expression on his face.

"Dotongu-san," Tsunade asked, calling the Northern by his name. "do you know him?"

Dotongu nodded slowly. "He was a very talented and gifted boy. Always cheerful, in for a joke. He made fireworks once and that was a real blast – literally, un." He sighed. "I even thought he might have been able to become a kage one day. Until those Akastuki lads showed up in town, un. They got him with them and ever since he's gone, un." He looked up at Tsunade. "If you would accept it, Tsunade-san, I would like to see him once, un."

Tsunade nodded. "I see your point, Dotongu-san. I'll talk about it with them. Because that's what I wanted to discuss. Does anyone know what to do with these chains? Do you, Mizura-san?"

The slender woman shook her head. "I'm afraid that I don't know a lot about it at the momenthh. But I could asssk for some booksss from my country. After all, thossse chainsss were made there."

Tsunade smiled. "That would be wonderful. You see, the chained kunoichi is one of my subordinates and probably one of the best medics ever. I would like to free her from the situation she's in."

They talked about the subject for quite a while. The other Kage's asked a lot questions about the current situation and about the Akatsuki, and Tsunade willingly answered them all. Gaara didn't say much, merely listened, and Temari tried to catch anything that was said about Sakura. Suddenly the conversation started about it.

"… before we end this meeting I would like to say one more thing about the Kunoichi, Haruno Sakura," Tsunade said, and Dotongu and Mizura both renewed their interest. "In order to get information out of Deidara we tried to interrogate him and we went as far as possible with torturing as possible without harming Sakura. That was unsuccessful."

Dotongu nodded. "Deidara is indeed hard to break, un."

"My point is, that I asked Sakura to get information out of him." The hokage suddenly became silent and everyone felt that it was hard for Tsunade to say what she was going to. "She's quite the attractive young lady and Deidara is a young man, and… well, we all know what young men think of..."

"NO!" Temari blurted, as she suddenly realized what Tsunade was steering onto. "No, you can't make Sakura do that! That's inhuman! Gross!"

Kankuro placed a hand on Temari's shoulder and pulled her back. "calm down sis," he hissed in her ear. "You're scaring the living daylights out of everybody here."

"Let go of me," Temari snapped at him and she pulled away, staring at Tsunade. "Please tell me you didn't… didn't ask Sakura to…"

"I'm afraid I did, Temari," Tsunade sighed. "Don't think it was easy for me. Indeed I asked Sakura to get intimate with Deidara to get information about the Akatsuki. I asked her merely four days ago but there will probably be some progress in the near future."

Dotongu cleared his throat and Tsunade looked up at him. "Something wrong, Dotongu-san?"

He nodded. "I just wanted to add that there's probably a problem with that technique, un. Ever since Deidara was a little boy, he… um…" he licked his lips and took a deep breath. "Well, there's no easy way of saying this, but, all evidence always pointed out that Deidara… well, that he's gay."

Tsunade choked on a bit of leftover tea in her teacup and spat it all out on the table. "He's WHAT?"

It was silent for just a second.

Then Dotongu suddenly started laughing like a madman, smacking his fist on the table and laughing so hard that the tears ran down his cheeks. "Gotcha! Wohahahaha! That look on your face, un!!"

Tsunade quickly recovered from her embarrassment and then slapped Dotongu right in the face, an annoyed and above all very angry look on her face.

"My god Dotongu-san! And then you complain about Gaara-san to be late!"

Mizura giggled, a hand in front of her mouth to hide the emotion on her to that far emotionless face. Even Gaara's always impassive face showed slightly signs of humor as the corners of his mouth tugged upwards slightly. Meanwhile Temari was still half in shock as the fact that Dotongu, a Kage for god's sake, just played a trick on Tsunade, while they were discussing something quite important.

I wonder, Gaara thought as he watched the heavy build man. Are they all like that in the Northern countries? I remember that that Deidara guy was even sarcastic and a prankster like this Kage. He shook his head. Boy am I glad I'm from the south.

"Well then," Dotongu said, getting up from his chair. The atmosphere was completely different from the start of the meeting, and it could even be called cozy and friendly. "I guess that this was it for today then. Tsunade-san," and he looked at the Hokage. "I'll be staying in Konoha for the next four days, un. I would be delighted if I could speak to Deidara-kun."

The usage of the kun behind Deidara's name surprised the Hokage slightly. "He's no boy anymore, Dotongu-san," She whispered as they left the room. Mizura had left before them, after promising that she would send a messenger to get information about the glass chains. The others had left earlier.

"And I would suggest that you wouldn't talk to him like he is one, too."

Dotongu smirked. "Something wrong, Hokage-san? I can handle a boy like him, un. He's good with explosives but disastrous with his temper. Besides," and now the Kage was nearly snickering. "He thinks his art is the absolute end, un. Throw one insult on being an artist or about art and he'll rip you to pieces." He gave Tsunade a side glare. "Not that he'll succeed on me, un."

Tsunade smiled. Even though the Kage had played a sick trick on her just a few minutes ago, she had started to like the way he could lightly talk about subjects and other serious things without making them heavier than they already were. She looked at her feet. Somehow he remembered her slightly of Jiraya.

"I'll be staying in this hotel," Dotongu suddenly stated and Tsunade quickly stopped walking to make sure that she didn't bump against him.

"Konohagakure?" Tsunade read the name of the hotel out loud. "Good choice. I'll speak with you tomorrow, then."

Dotongu smiled and then they said a quick, formal goodbye and Dotongu disappeared inside the hotel, leaving Tsunade behind. She found herself staring at the door and sighed deeply. She hoped that Sakura was able to get the information needed out of Deidara before Mizura came up with a conclusion for the chains.

I don't think we'll be able to get the information out of him by force. Not even if we can torture him to a level on which every person would simply submit. She looked up, at the sky, and saw dark clouds packing together in the east. And as soon as we can interrogate him with force, Sakura won't stand a chance in getting information. Perhaps… perhaps it's better not to have a way out.

Her eyes widened for a second the moment she thought that. She shouldn't have thought that. Sakura wasn't made for this kind of living, staying inside all day and sit around lazily. Nor was she destined to lure an enemy into telling information by using something else than her common sense and brains.

But, as things looked right now, the only way to obtain information about the Akatsuki, and thus the only way to stop them from taking over the world or whatever else bad they were planning on, was to have Sakura seduce Deidara. Even though it was awful, and horrible because they might have a solution, Tsunade decided not to tell Sakura about the results of this meeting.

I might as well tell the other Kages that are still in town about this, she thought while walking back to Konohagakure. Only Mizura and Dotongu are staying, so that shouldn't take too long.

Before she entered the hotel, she glanced over her shoulder, to the Hokage tower. I'm sorry Sakura, she thought sadly. This is the only way.


	12. Fuzzy Goals

**And here's chapter twelve! As most of you have probably noticed I forgot to add this author comment to the previous chapter… Please forgive me! And, before you can start on this chapter, I want to thank everyone who has reviewed or commented in any other way. Thanks a bunch and please keep it up!**

**PS: I do not own Naruto**

**Chapter twelve: Fuzzy goals**

"Ano, Kisame-san, are we there yet? Tobi's getting kinda hungry and we still haven't found Deidara-san…"

"Shut up will ya," Kisame snapped at Tobi behind him. He wasn't exactly in the mood for this kind of quarrels, especially not with Tobi. He sighed when the boy finally shut up and then shook his head. Why they had teamed him up with Tobi to search for Deidara was a complete mystery to him, as well as the fact that Itachi was going after the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki together with Zetsu and was probably having way more fun than he was having. 

"I'm hungry too, ya know. It's just that I can control it and don't say it all the time," he added, annoyed. Tobi looked to the floor and Kisame grinned. In the end, Tobi was easier to silence than Deidara, especially when he started talking about sculptures or paintings. 

"Besides, do you really hate it so much to search for that exploding maniac of yours?" 

Tobi quickly shook his head. "No no! not at all! But Tobi… well, Tobi's not entirely sure if this is the right spot, where we are waiting. It might be… a bit further to there." And he pointed to the north, towards where Kisame knew Konoha was. 

The shark like man shook his head. "Definitely not, Tobi. To that direction is the city of Konoha – if Deidara was nearby there then he's dead." And he crunched a little stone between his fingers. "as dead as that, I can tell ya." And he looked above, examining the cream white clouds and the light and fresh green of the leaves. 

Just when he was lying comfortably and was just wondering if he had brought some beer with him, he heard a soft sobbing sound coming from his left side. He carefully opened one eye and saw Tobi sitting on the floor, bowed forwards with his hands against his mask while his shoulders shook from silent tears. 

Strangely enough, seeing the boy like that, broke something inside of Kisame. A bit wondered by where the strange feeling came from, he got up slightly and patted Tobi on the shoulder lightly. "oy, Tobi, calm down, okay? We're… we're going to find Deidara for ya, okay? You hear me?"

Tobi nodded wordlessly, still crying. Kisame smiled weakly. The boy sure was young, especially for an organization like the Akatsuki, where you had to assassinate people on daily base. For a moment Kisame wondered if Tobi was even able of hurting anyone. 

"Well then, stop the sobbing and start the lookin'," Kisame said, relieved when the boy stopped crying after a while. "Then I'm sure we'll find Deidara."

"Hai, Kisame-san! Tobi'll do his best!" And he leapt up from the floor, ran towards a tree and then climbed in it like a monkey, reaching the top faster than Kisame had expected from him. Surprised for nearly a heartbeat, Kisame quickly recovered and then also climbed a tree himself, raising above the fresh green leaves to be able to look over the area. To his left, Tobi had also reached the top of the trees and he was jumping up and down, making a hell lot of noise and scaring the living daylights out of some birds. 

"Hahah! Did you see that, Kisame-san? Tobi did well, didn't he?"

Kisame shook his head, grinning. "You temee. Stop making that much of noise or we'll have a scout team from Konoha here." He looked to the city in the distance, vaguely able to identify a large tower in the centre of the town and some smaller buildings around it. His expression hardened for a second as a strange, nerving feeling wrapped itself around his stomach and he closed his eyes half to be able to see better. 

Something, something was extremely wrong about the situation. There was something with Konoha, something about the silent disappearing of a normal so noise guy and the fact that they hadn't found Tobi. But the pieces simply didn't fit together. There was something missing, something crucial…

"Ano! Kisame-san! Aren't that Konoha ninja?"

Startled by the warning, Kisame quickly returned back from his thoughts and looked in the direction to where Tobi was pointing out. His eyes widened for a second as he saw a team of four ninjas leaping from tree to tree, steadily making their way towards the two Akatsuki members. And by the feeling of their chakra, they were quite strong, too. 

"Shit. Tobi!" Kisame pointed down. "Hide and disguise your chakra! We need to avoid battles as much as possible so stay hidden. Don't move, don't talk, and, for god's sake…"

He jumped down and hid in some bushes, with Tobi next to him within a flash. "…suppress your chakra or they'll notice you!"

Moments later, the four ninja leapt overhead, swiftly without making too much noise. If Kisame hadn't seen them before, he could've thought that it were merely birds flying over and touching the leaves. He let out a sigh of relief when they were passed and were far away again, and then got up out of the bushes, staring to where the ninja had went. 

His abnormal good eyes were able to see them, even though they shouldn't be able to see or sense him at all. But what he saw didn't make him happy. Not at all. 

"Goddamit," he swore and he turned to face Tobi after he had made sure that they weren't coming back. "That was a kage for god's sake. A frickin kage, accompanied by three high level guards…" 

Suddenly the missing piece of the puzzle fell on its place. Kisame gasped as he stepped back and leaned against a tree, heart beating fast and palms sweaty. 

"Ne, what's wrong, Kisame-san? You alright? You don't look so fine!"

Kisame shook his head and then looked at Tobi with renewed interest. The boy had been right all the time. Of course they weren't able of finding Deidara's corpse, simply because the Konoha ninja hadn't killed him. They had kidnapped him and taken him to Konoha to question him, and asked Kages from other countries to inform them about the information Deidara had given them. It all made sense. Why didn't he see this earlier?

"We need to go to Konoha," he muttered, wiping off his cloak and running up a tree again, making Tobi yelp of surprise before he followed him. 

"But, but, Tobi thought Kisame-san just said…"

"It doesn't matter what I just said! We're goin' to Konoha and that's that. And, believe me, we're going to get Deidara back. No matter what." 

Kisame clenched his jaws on each other. If Deidara had told the kages about the Akatsuki then they could be in big, big trouble. Although there was a possibility that he hadn't told them anything, he couldn't risk anything. 

Tobi made another, complaining sound but Kisame silenced him by smacking him on the head lightly. "No complaints. Either you go with me and save Deidara, or you go back to the organization and explain why you didn't come with me. Choose."

Tobi stopped jumping and Kisame landed on a nearby branch, looking at the boy who was obviously having a large inner conflict. 

"Tobi wants to save Deidara-sama," he whispered. "But Konoha is a dangerous place to go to, especially for us Akatsuki. And if there are more Kages in Konoha than just the fifth Hokage then… then it may be too dangerous for us."

Kisame raised an eyebrow in surprise. Tobi was surprising him time after time, and this time he proved to be a lot better in seeing through the situation than Kisame had thought. 

"Dangerous, eh?" Kisame said, grinning. "I like that word. And I know you do so too. Besides, as long as we keep our cover up and no one suspects us off anythin', we'll be able to find out where he is in no-time." He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What do you think?"

Tobi seemed to think this over, until he suddenly nodded so fast that his mask became one orange stripe. "That plan sounds better, Kisame-san! Let's do that! Tobi wants to find Deidara-sama!"

Kisame smiled faintly. "Then I'll first explain some rules to ya about coverin'. Listen carefully."

Tobi raced towards Kisame and sat down in front of him, legs crossed and his hands put in front of him, his face directed towards Kisame. "Tobi listens carefully, Kisame-san!"

Kisame blinked and then sat down as well, leaning a bit back against the tree they were standing on. "Okay. First of all, there's one major condition you have to fulfill. And that is: no chakra use. Understood?"

Tobi nodded. 

"Second is that you shouldn't talk. Only when we're in big trouble, or in a fight, you can talk to me, but otherwise; shut up."

Tobi nodded again. "Tobi won't say a word, Kisame-san."

Kisame smiled. "That's good. And then, at last: keep out of trouble. That means no stealing, fighting, pushing or provocation of people. You just walk next to me and I'll tell everyone that you're my little nephew or somethin' like that. Ok?"

Tobi jumped up from the branch and punched in the air. "Tobi agrees completely! Let's go Kisame-san!" And he leapt to another tree, in the direction of the city. Kisame got up as fast as he could and followed the boy, yelling. 

"OI! Tobi! Get a hold of yourself will ya! We still need to COVER UP!"

Tobi landed on a tree vertically and then launched himself back towards Kisame, his feet hitting the ground in front of Kisame and missing the shark like man in merely inches. Kisame sighed. "Come on Tobi, get serious for a change."

"Sorry Kisame-san," Tobi said and he looked at his feet. Kisame sniffed. "Yea, sure. Anyways. I wasn't finished talking just now. Do you really think we would infiltrate Konohagakure without a plan or something like that?"

Tobi looked at him for a long time. "Tobi thought that Kisame-san already had a plan."

"Of course I do, idiot! But I guess it would be handy if you were also informed. So here goes." Kisame sat down on the tree branch, signing Tobi to do the same. "First we're going to perform a henge no jutsu. Nothing fancy, just try to look like an ordinary traveler. Then we're going in the city, and when we're about in the main street," he looked at Tobi. "you must collapse. I'll give ya the sign of when to do it but it needs to look serious, okay?"

Tobi tilted his head. "Tobi needs to act like he's ill?"

Kisame sighed. "That's right. They'll take us to the hospital and then look you over. Of course they wont find a thing but that's logical, we'll just say it was because of the sun."

He looked through the thick layer of leaves between him and the sky. "Man it's hot…"

Then he looked at Tobi again. "Do you get what to do?"

Tobi nodded. "No problem, Kisame-san! Tobi will do as ordered. He only has one question." Kisame raised an eyebrow. "and that is?"

"What will Kisame-san do while they check on Tobi? Will he stay with Tobi?"

Kisame shook his head. "No. While they check on you I'll look around the hospital to see if Deidara's there. If they already managed in kidnapping him then they have had to inflict some serious damage on him, so I figured that he would still be in hospital." 

Tobi nodded and then jumped up from the branch, forming handseals and then, with a poof of smoke, changed into a young man with black hair that covered one of his eyes while showing the other. He wore a facial mask so that his nose and lips were covered and merely his right eye was visible. And as he looked at Kisame, the shark man shivered.

The onyx eye that looked at him sent shivers down his spine for a reason he didn't know. 

"Let's go Kisame-san," Tobi said, and Kisame quickly formed the required handsigns to perform a henge no jutsu as well. Soon a tall man with dark hair stood next to Tobi on the tree branch, carrying a large package on his back. He stretched his muscles. "Good. I'm set. Now, just one more thing before we go, you are Ayoku and I'm Tawu. You're my younger brother and we're orphans. We've seen a lot of the world and we're shy for people. Got that?"

Tobi nodded, jumping from the one foot to the other. "Yes yes, Tobi gets it all, can we now please go? Tobi wants to find and rescue sempai!" 

- in hotel Konohagakure - 

Dotongu sat behind his desk, reading through paperwork. He sighed. Even though he was in another country, the paperwork would come and haunt him everywhere he went. If there was something he hated about being a kage then it was this, the endless filling in of files that no one would ever read except for himself. 

He wiped off a bit of sweat of his forehead. And then there was this damned heat. It was hot and very, very muggy, troubling his breathing and making his limbs feel heavy. I hate the south, he thought grumpily while putting his sign on a rapport or something. It's way too hot here, un. 

When he put away the first pile and then noticed two other large piles of paper waiting for him he got up from his chair, angry and irritated. More and more paperwork! If this goes on like this I'll go mad, un… He walked to the window and looked outside, examining the clouded sky and the busy street. His mind wandered to the missing ninja he was soon going to meet. Deidara. The boy with the magical hands.

He took off the gloves he always wore and studied his own hands. There were some deep lines and the skin felt hard of tough work and low temperatures, but what really caught attention were snitches, closing two lines running in the centre of the palm of his hands. This bloodline limit is a double edged sword, he thought while he carefully touched the snitches of his one hand with the other. It's a lethal weapon, that's sure, but…

A loud knock on the door started Dotongu and he turned around quickly, his left hand sliding in his pocket and grabbing a kunai he always held there. "Who's there?" he asked, his voice low. "Tsunade," said a muffled voice from behind the wood. "I'm here to discuss with you about meeting Deidara. Please let me in."

Dotongu let go of the kunai and quickly put on the gloves before he opened the door, letting in Tsunade who looked overheated. "Gee it's hot outside," she said, looking up at him. Her forehead looked sweaty. Dotongu nodded while he closed the door behind her. "I like the North better, to be honest, un," he said and he offered Tsunade a chair. She sat down and he took another one, close to hers. "It's cold, but at least you can dress against the cold, un. Heat just makes you drowsy."

Tsunade smiled. "That's right. But I'm not very fond of the cold, I like warmth better." She giggled. "When it's cold then the only thing I want to do is hide inside with a large fire and a mug of hot chocolate." 

Dotongu laughed a deep harmonious laugh, and shook his head, smiling. "Understandable, for an outlander, un. But, let's get to the topic." He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap. "Deidara."

Tsunade nodded. "I've talked with them about it. It's okay for you to show up today around four or five." Dotongu smiled, a bit surprised that he would be able of going there so soon already. He had at least expected that Deidara would refuse to speak with him. "That's great, un. I don't know how to thank you, Hokage-san."

Tsunade blushed slightly. "Please call me Tsunade," she whispered. "Calling me Hokage-san makes me feel so old."

Dotongu laughed softly. "But of course, Tsunade-chan." And Tsunade smiled at him. Normally she would have been insulted if someone called her like that, but, coming from Dotongu, it was merely natural. He's really just like Jiraya, she thought. Everything, except for the perverted side... or would he too… She couched, mainly for herself to get back to the topic but also getting Dotongu's attention again as he had been thinking about questions for Deidara.

"But there's something you need to know before you meet them, though, Dotongu-san," she said, her tone more serious now. "I would appreciate it if you didn't mention the fact that Mizura-san is going to get information about the chains from her country." Their eyes met and, to Tsunade's relief, his looked understandable. 

"I see. You don't want Deidara and Haruno to know about a possible release from their situation to be able to get information out of Deidara, un."

Tsunade nodded. He's fast, she thought. A worthy Kage. Perhaps I should discuss an alliance with the North in the council. "I hate it to lie to my apprentice but I see no other way. And the Akatsuki are a too big threat to let this opportunity slip, I take it that you understand that." It was no question, it was a statement. Dotongu nodded slowly, his eyes hooked to Tsunade's. "I wont drop a word about it, un."

It got silent. "Ahem. Then, eh, then I'll be going. I need to inform Mizura about this as well, so I still have to go to the other hotel." Dotongu smiled at her. "But of course, un. Do you know where she is staying?" Tsunade nodded. "Yes, I'm informed."

Again they didn't say anything for a long time, but the silence wasn't awkward. For a weird reason, Tsunade's legs didn't do as she pleased and the refused getting up from the chair. As she looked into Dotongu's dark eyes, she got the faint idea that his presence had more influence on her than she wanted to admit. 

But there was something about this Kage. He wasn't cocky or arrogant, nor was he self centered or silent. He was funny, muscled and he was definitely good looking…

"Weren't you going to see Mizura-san, Tsunade-san?" Dotongu asked slowly, his eyes still locked to hers. She smiled sheepishly and then finally got up from the chair, although her legs trembled slightly. "sorry, I got lost in thoughts. Anyway," and she stroke some of her hair behind her ear, "I'll see you at the next meeting. I'll send a messenger to inform you about the time and place."

Dotongu got up from his chair as well and let her out. Just before she went he placed his hand on her shoulder and Tsunade froze. "I would appreciate it if you came and inform me yourself, Tsunade-san," he whispered. "If it's not too much of a worry, of course, un."

Tsunade blushed deeply. "I'll see if I can find the time."

He smiled. "Thank you. Goodbye." And he lifted his hand and closed the door, leaving a startled and blushing Tsunade on the corridor, her eyes wide open and her heart beating hard in her chest. She placed her hand on her chest and took a few deep breaths before walking down the hall, to outside. 

She expected to find some fresh air outside, but it was even damper outside than inside and she started to sweat immediately. Sighing she walked back to the hokage tower, her pace slow and her eyes wandering over the people she saw. She wasn't aware of the eyes that followed her until she had disappeared out of sight and then looked back in the hotel room. 

Dotongu walked to his bed and then fell on it, arms spread to each side like an angel and eyes staring to the ceiling. How long had it been since he had acted like this in front of a woman? Three, maybe five years? Or more? He closed his eyes. There's no time for this, Dotongu. You need to focus on your conversation with Deidara. Akatsuki, interrogation, what should you ask him?

But the questions didn't come. Instead of that, images of the Hokage kept flooding his brain and in the end he decided to do some more paperwork – he was absolutely desperate – just to be able to think of something else. It didn't really work but it was better than nothing. In the end he managed to work through the entire two piles in merely an hour and then it was time for him to go the Akatsuki member and the Hokage's apprentice. 

He locked his room behind him and then walked outside, bumping against the muggy wall of the damp air outside but walking on, a frown etched in his face. Some questions had formed inside of his head although there was one he was going to focus on mainly. 

Why, Deidara, did you join? 

Why?

**I definitely needed to write**** something about the Akatsuki again so here it is: they're going to infiltrate! Please R&R and the next chapter will be aired in no-time (if school allows me --) See you all!**


	13. A Kage's visit

**I totally forgot, but upcoming week is holiday week! So I'll probably be able to write a lot :) I haven't started on chapter fourteen yet, I still need to think out what exactly is going to happen since I read the last chapters over and I think the story is getting a bit lame… Something needs to happen, something big!**

**Anyway, I don't own Naruto! Please R&R, and again big thanks to the ones who did! I'm always enjoying reading them :3**

**Have fun reading! 

* * *

**

**Chapter thirteen: a Kage's visit**

Everything went as planned. Tobi and Kisame walked next to each other through the busiest street of entire Konoha, with people coming out of shops or entering them all the time. Tobi looked around like he was a tourist – with every building or shop he saw he punched Kisame and asked him what it was for. At first Kisame had answered but after a while he decided that it was best not to. Perhaps he would stop, eventually. 

Then Kisame noticed a crossing in streets. Two main streets of Konoha crossed each other, in what seemed center of town. He slowed his pace down and then patted Tobi on his shoulder. The boy, who had just been wanting to ask Kisame about a little saké bar on the right side of the street, blinked a couple of times with his one onyx eye. 

"This is the crossing," Kisame whispered, not looking at Tobi. "You know what to do, don't you?" and then he glared at the dark haired youngster for a second. Again, seeing the black eye made him shiver, and he quickly looked forward again. For some weird reason it seemed like the eye belonged to someone else than Tobi – to someone far more intelligent, sharper, but, most importantly, and that was exactly what freaked Kisame out, the eye seemed to belong to a killer. A cold killer.

"I do," Tobi said and Kisame had trouble hiding his surprise. For the first time since he had met Tobi, he spoke of himself other than "Tobi thinks…" or "but Tobi's a good boy", and together with the creepy eye thing, Kisame didn't really like this "new" Tobi. He cleared his throat. "Well, then, here we go."

They continued walking. Every step they took seemed to take ages and the closer they got to the crossing, the more nervous Kisame got. He didn't know why. He wasn't exactly the best in making up solid plans but this plan had been made up by Pain, and if Pain could do something best then it was making up plans. And Tobi would rather kill himself than blow up the infiltration – or so Kisame hoped. So what was he worrying about?

Then they took the last step. Kisame felt it as his foot touched the floor and he automatically looked at Tobi next to him, who suddenly stopped walking. A man who had been walking behind them, with gray hair and a book held up in front of him, stopped dead just before hitting Tobi. 

"Ayoku?" Kisame said, morphing his voice to the one of a worried older brother. "You alright?" next he looked to the man behind Tobi. Even though they seemed to be in the same age, the man looked older. Perhaps due to experiences he had been through..? "I'm sorry for him, mister, but normally he doesn't act this weird…" he rolled the r a bit so that he got a foreign accent and then was just about to take Tobi's wrist and pull him further, when Tobi suddenly collapsed and threw up on the floor. 

_Nice one, Tobi!_

"Ayoku?!" Kisame kneeled next to the boy. Several people had stopped walking, the most with a disgusted look on their face. "Oi! What's wrong?!" Kisame yelled, grabbing Tobi's shoulders. The silver haired man kneeled next to Kisame and then Tobi started to shiver and shake, before he fell back on the floor, his one eye wide open and his breath hitching. Then his limbs started to move around aimlessly before suddenly his eye rolled back in his head and his entire body fell still. For a split second, Kisame was astounded by the performance, but then he started to "panic".

"Oh my god, Ayoku! Dammit!" he looked around. "Please! Someone! Get a doctor or something!" 

The silver haired man suddenly bowed forwards and placed his head on Tobi's chest, listening carefully. Kisame looked at the man and froze. He knew him.

Hatake Kakashi, alias the Copy Ninja. Master of more than 1000 ninjutsu and one heck of an enemy. For a moment he wondered what his chances of survival were if he took out a kunai and sliced Kakashi's throat right here, right now. Then he realized that, if he did that, that would seriously ruin the infiltration and probably Tobi's fragile trust in him. So he went on with the show. 

"Can you help him?" Kisame asked, grabbing Kakashi's shoulder. Kakashi frowned and then got up, lifting Tobi over his shoulder and then facing Kisame. "I can't, but they sure can in the hospital. Follow me, it's not far from here."

Partly relieved because Kakashi didn't recognize them and partly because this was going to be very, very simple, Kisame nodded fast. "Thank you, thank you, he's my little brother…!"

"Then follow me. People, out of the way please. And you, here, hold this," and Kakashi pushed a small orange book in Kisame's hands before he started running off in East direction, with Kisame on his heels. Kakashi knew the way where Kisame didn't but, as he had said earlier, the hospital wasn't far. 

"Did anything similar to this happened before?" Kakashi asked over his shoulder to Kisame, who was just behind him. Kisame shook his head. "No, never! He's been ill before but that was nothing. Just the flu or a cold."

"Okay… then here we are. Stay behind me, it's busy in there."

Kisame nearly had no time before Kakashi took a sharp turn to the left and he was forced to use a very tiny amount of chakra, just to make sure that he didn't slip. Even though Kakashi didn't move or show any sign of that he noticed Kisame sweat dropped. Shit, I shouldn't do that again.

They went through electrical doors and then entered a cool room, probably air conditioned. Several doctors in white robes were talking to each other or to visitors, while on the other side of the large square room people sat on chairs with magazines and a water machine next to them. Kakashi walked straight on to the desk, ignoring the queue that had formed and placed Tobi on the desk in front of a surprised looking girl. 

"Sir," she said, an angry look on her face and with a tone that said and-now-I'll-tell-you-the-rules. "You should wait in the queue! Just li- **Oh my god**," she jumped from her chair and then turned around and pressed a red button, then bowed forwards to speak into a little microphone. "Shizune-sama! We have got a problem!"

Kisame blinked once with his eyes and then electrical doors on the other end of the hall slid open, revealing a woman with short black hair and a serious expression on her face. A little pink pig followed her, and Kakashi stepped aside. "Here he is," he said and Shizune nodded to him. "Thanks Kakashi. I'll take it from here." And she placed her hands on Tobi's chest, with soon green light glowing off them. The people that had been waiting in the queue all leaned forwards to be able to see what she was doing. 

Suddenly Kisame realized this wasn't good. He had been planning on going on research, but as things looked like, he wouldn't even get a chance to look through the hospital. If Tobi did himself too much harm he would have to go to surgery and then Kisame would have to wait here, probably together with someone. _He overdid_ it, he thought while he saw the serious expression on Shizune's face harden. _The fool overdid it big time_. 

"Make an OR ready," Shizune suddenly said, "And get Sakura. I don't care about her situation – get her! I need assistance. Now!!"

The girl behind the counter nodded and then got up, raced to the front door and left. Quickly another one replaced her seat, but the people in the queue were all still too shocked by this performance to ask questions. 

"Kakashi," Shizune said, turning to the silver haired man. "Carry him to OR 3. I'll meet you there within seconds." Kakashi nodded, took up Tobi and carried him away. Kisame looked after the two, panic growing inside of him. What had Tobi actually done to himself…?

"You," Shizune snapped and Kisame looked at her, slightly startled. "…y, Yes, Ma'am…?" he said, his voice trembling. Shizune looked him over. "Do you know the patient?" He nodded. "He's my little brother, ma'am…" 

Shizune nodded. "Can I ask your name and age please?"

"Tawu," Kisame muttered. "Tawu Nagari. My brother's name is Ayoku – I'm twenty three and he's twenty." Shizune raised an eyebrow. "Pretty old for brothers still traveling together, don't you think?"

Kisame swallowed. _this woman is sharp_, he thought. _I need to be careful and think my words over. If I make one mistake it's over_. "Well, we've been together since we were six. Our parents died then, and we've been nearly everywhere together. Our bond is… hard to break."

This seemed to satisfy the medic slightly. "I see. I'll do everything I can. Now if you excuse me, I need to go to the OR. Please take a seat by OR 3 and wait until we're ready, Kakashi will accompany you within a few minutes. I'll have someone fetch you after the operation." 

Kisame cursed inwardly. What he had feared had become truth. Because Tobi was now officially a patient here in Konoha hospital, their names needed to be recorded and he would be questioned about their backgrounds. And that all because Tobi did… Did what?

Shizune turned around, the little pig following her again. Just before she could walk away, Kisame blurted: "Ma'am! What's… what's wrong with him?"

Shizune turned around to face him. "I don't know, Tawu-san. I really don't."

- On the streets of Konoha - 

Dotongu had a quite fast pace. He didn't greet people nor did he apologize if he bumped against someone. At the moment, his entire brain had focused on the soon to come conversation with one of his ex ninjas. One of the most promising, too. And also the one with the largest ego. 

_That I can already talk to him is a miracle_, he thought while he looked at a sign to see in what street he was and where he had to go. _I had suspected it to take ages, un. Perhaps living here in Konoha had had its influence on him_. He shivered slightly, even though it was still very hot. _I hope so. I don't really feel like arguing with him when it's so hot… _

He took a right turn and then saw the Hokage tower, a large building with the fire sign printed on it. He smiled without knowing it and increased his speed slightly. Now he would not only see Deidara, he would also meet the kunoichi Tsunade said so much about. He wondered how she looked like and couldn't help but think that she might have slightly the same personality as the Hokage. _Apprentice and teacher often share the same personality_, he thought and his mind wandered to when Deidara had been one of his students. 

-Flashback-

Dotongu shook his head. "No, no, don't use your mouths that way, Deidara-kun. You need to focus on using them like this, un. If you're just eating the rock then nothing good will come out of it."

The little blond boy gave him an angry glare and then crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I do it the way I want to, hmm," he retorted. "besides, I hate this rock! It hurts my teeth!"

Dotongu sighed. He sat down on the floor of the training room and gestured Deidara to do the same. The boy sat down as well, a little hesitating. "Listen to me, Deidara-kun," Dotongu said, his voice low. "You didn't come here because you already knew how to mold stone. You came here because you wanted to learn that, un. So don't say that you already know how it works because you don't."

Deidara looked at his feet, and Dotongu smiled in relief. He remembered acting the same in front of his old teacher, the second Kage, and then pulled Deidara at his feet. "Although we might be able to cure that toothache problem of yours, un."

Deidara looked at him hopefully. "Really, hmm?" he rubbed the insides of his hands and when he did so, Dotongu saw that the mouths looked irritated. The skin around them looked raw and red and then Dotongu knew a solution. 

"You are going to use clay, un," he said and he walked to a large dresser in the corner of the room. Deidara didn't follow him. "Clay?" he asked. "Why clay?" 

"Don't ask," Dotongu retorted, "Just do as you're told for a change. Here," and he gave the boy two hands full of white clay. "In theory it's the same as with the rocks. You take them in, don't swallow them, and when you've infused the clay with your chakra you spit it out again, un. Give it a try."

Deidara stared at the clay and his fingers absentmindedly started to mold it into various shapes and sizes. Dotongu didn't speak but watched, remembering that his mother had told him that he Deidara was in fact very artistic. He sighed. It had been the last time he had seen her. Next day, the day after she had brought Deidara to the ninja academy, there had been a large earthquake and Deidara's mother and father hadn't survived. Ever since then, Dotongu has raised Deidara as if he was his son, and teaching him was only one of the things he did only for Deidara. Not for anyone else. 

Then Deidara carefully took some of the clay into his hand mouth hand and chewed it, very, very slowly. Then he closed his eyes in concentration when he had to insert chakra in the clay. A little breeze started inside of the room, cooling the sweat on Deidara's forehead, and soon a faint blue light shone of his clenched fist, growing stronger with the second. 

And then suddenly a jolt of chakra energy shot out of his hand, flashing blue, making him tumble back and Dotongu trip over. The Tsuchikage caught himself in time and jumped on his feet, where Deidara was catapulted towards the other end of the room. _Amazing_, Dotongu thought while walking towards the boy. _So much chakra, and so concentrated…! And that while he's still so young!_

"Nice work, Deidara-kun," he said and he offered Deidara a hand to get up. The boy moaned, opened one eye slightly and then lay a small, white bird in Dotongu's outstretched hand, before he fainted. Dotongu kneeled next to him and examined the bird. The details were perfect, every single feather stood out and the beak was long and sharp, unlike any other bird he had ever seen. Just when he was about to put it next to Deidara, it **clapped it's wings and flew up**. Dotongu jumped up, slightly startled, while he followed the white bird around the room, astounded by its realism.

The little creation flew around twice and then landed in the centre of the training room, where it started to wash itself and looked at Dotongu with it's little round eyes. The Tsuchikage sat down next to Deidara and patted the boy softly on his cheek, making him wake up. 

"You're an artist, boy. The bird just flew!" Dotongu said, unable to hide the surprise in his voice. Deidara got up slowly and then looked at the bird, which was now hopping around, before he looked back at Dotongu. "It's not perfect," he said. "I made the head too small and the eyes too big, hmm."

Dotongu sighed. Just what an artist would always say about his art. "It looks good to me," he said smiling. "You just practice more with clay, un, and one day perhaps you'll be able to make a good spy jutsu out of it."

Deidara nodded, a happy grin etched in his face. "Dotongu-sama?" he asked, and the Tsuchikage looked at him. "Yes, Deidara-kun?"

"Can I…" Deidara's grin got wider. "Try something with the bird?"

Dotongu blinked. "Sure. Go ahead, un." 

Deidara looked at the bird, closed his eyes and then formed a one handed hand seal. He took a deep breath, then suddenly opened his eyes and screamed: "KATSU!!" **(a/n: I thought Katsu means to win, so I guess he yells something like "I will win" to increase his concentration or something. I'm not Japanese so please forgive me if I'm making mistakes!)**

The bird detonated. A shockwave lifted both Dotongu and Deidara from their feet and slammed them against the nearby wall, and the fire ball coming out of it burned their skin slightly before the explosion was over. 

Deidara was cheering, ignoring the light burns on his skin and his bruised back. "YES!! It worked! You saw that, Dotongu-sama? It actually EXPLODED, HMM!! I knew I could do it, I knew it!" 

Dotongu coughed out some smoke and then got on his feet again, wiping off his clothes before looking at the boy, who was having a lot of fun partying on his own. Something inside of him told him to now hug the little boy and tell him he did well, while an other part told him to stand back and let him experience this joy on his own. _You're not his father_, he said to himself. _His father died and you're in no position to take that place._

But deep inside, he wished he could.

-end Flashback-

He arrived at the hokage building and waited a few seconds before climbing the large stairs that led to not only Tsunade's office but also the apartment. He wasn't nervous, to his own surprise, just very, very curious. He entered a long corridor and walked by all the doors until the very last one, with a name plate on it. 5th Hokage. 

He knocked on the door, but got no answer. He smacked his own head. _Of course there's no one, stupid! She's to Mizura!_ So he opened the door himself and walked inside, looking around carefully. The desk was filled with piles of paperwork, and he smirked when he saw them. Next he saw bookcases filled with books about medical supplies and rules of Konohagakure, and he studied the titles quickly before focusing at why he was there. 

Then his eye fell on a little white note, taped to the door that led to the special apartment. He walked closer and looked at the handwriting. The first part, let's say two lines, was girlish but very inaccurate, like she was writing with her wrong hand. The other part, the rest of the letter, was written with a solid handwriting and he studied it for a few seconds, knowing that it must be Deidara's, before reading the letter.

_Dear Kage,_

_Unfortunately I have to inform you that we won't be able to meet you this afternoon, as has been concluded by us and our Hokage._

**_Instead of that, Sakura is going to the hospital to save lives. She's a top medic so that's why we're not here. You could wait in the office if you want to but I wouldn't offer that since she's terribly slow…_ **(the handwriting got a bit off and Dotongu guessed that Sakura might have hit him for writing this)**_and I might need a doctor some time soon as well._ **

**_See you,_**

**_D&S_**

_Dear kage?_ Dotongu thought while reading it again. He wondered if maybe Tsunade hadn't told them who exactly was coming, just that they knew that they were expecting a Kage to come over. He took the note from the door and buried it in his pocket. _That Tsunade_, he thought smiling while he sat down behind her desk, smelling a faint perfume she must've been wearing the other day. _She's a hell of an intelligent woman_.

-Konoha hospital- 

Kisame and Kakashi were the only ones in the entire waiting room. All the other chairs were empty while they kept glaring at the sign above the OR. It had been at least ten minutes since the girl went to fetch that Sakura and he was seriously wondering when she'd show up. Kakashi though didn't mind at all.

"Don't worry," he said. "She'll show up. She's not exactly the type to let people wait."

Kisame grumbled. "I can only hope so. If Ayoku dies because she didn't show up…"

Kakashi grinned. "You won't be able to lay a single finger on her. Many have tried that before you. Even an Akatsuki member wasn't able to wipe her out, the contrary, actually. So I would think that over if I were you." 

Kisame looked at Kakashi. "A… Akatsuki? You mean that organization?" his heart was beating fast. Had that Sakura killed one of them? Perhaps she was the one to defeat Deidara in the forests and kidnap him!

"I do, yes," Kakashi said. "I was there too. Anyway, she's terrible strong. Frightening strong I might say. She hit me once and I landed in hospital for two weeks." He shivered at the mere thought and Kisame nodded.

"Who did she defeat?"

He could smack himself for asking that. Too much! He had said way too much!

Kakashi raised one eyebrow. "Why do you want to know that?" 

Kisame was nervously seeking a way out, but couldn't find any, "eh, well, er…" when suddenly footsteps made them both look up. He saw a pink haired girl with an angry expression pace down the hall, pulling someone behind her, a blond man. Kisame's heart beat faster as they got closer, and he felt a little bit familiar chakra coming off the man.

_It can't be. The guy's got short hair…!_

"In here, Kakashi-sensei?" the pinked haired girl asked, while the blond man was still looking the other way. _Turn around_, Kisame thought, nerves twisting in his stomach. _Turn around goddamit!!_

"Yup. He's this guys younger brother. You might as well do your best, Sakura. I guess Shizune'll be angry with you for showing up this late."

"Which was **not** my fault," Sakura exclaimed. "It took me ages to write that fucking letter and then he takes over and writes merely stupid things that are so NOT honorable for kages…!"

"Oh shut up will you, hmm," the blonde said, and then there was no doubt left about who it was. Kisame's heart missed a beat. He had found him! He had found him without doing anything! And when the guy turned around and Kisame saw the way too familiar blue eyes, he knew he was sure. But the short hair…! 

He couldn't help himself. Seeing Deidara, with short hair while he had always been so damn proud about his long blond hair, snapped something inside of him and he burst out in laughter, making everyone look at him. 

"What's wrong with **him**?" Deidara asked, frowning but also blushing. He suspected something. The aura coming off that man, it was familiar. Like he had seen it before, like he had seen it a lot, and when the man laughed at him he felt like he laughed at him because of his new haircut. He didn't know why. 

"Come on, Deidara, let him be, I need to operate that man," Sakura said and she pulled handcuffs they were both wearing, making him flinch slightly. Kisame wiped away the tears of laughter and studied the handcuffs for a split second. _So that's how she managed to kidnap him, by chaining herself to him. Stupid girl. It's a miracle on itself that she's still alive. _

The two went inside the operation room, leaving a very awkward silence. Kakashi coughed and Kisame flinched. He obviously needed to explain himself.

"Eh, I, I laughed because, because I just remembered a… a joke my brother used to say…" He looked at his feet, blushing fanatically. It was a very useless excuse. "It was really funny…!"

Kakashi raised both of his eyebrows and then put the little orange book away, leaning back against the wall. Then he looked at Kisame. "Tell it! You've made me curious!"

* * *

**So, that's that, another chapter done! ****Hope you all liked it and until the next one! **


	14. Starry skies

Finally

**Finally! Chapter fifteen!! Sorry sorry sorry for the late update… I just kept messing up this chapter completely and I think I erased and typed it again for at least five times… I hope that you all like it :3**

**I do not own Naruto and reviews are always welcome :)**

**Chapter fourteen: Starry Skies**

Kisame swallowed and then stared at his feet. A joke… A joke… Please, just get up with a joke…!

It was hilarious. No one could have suspected this to happen: The one person who was always able of pissing half the Akatsuki off with his lame jokes, couldn't get up with one. Perhaps it was the hangover, perhaps the tension of the situation, but Kisame's head remained as empty as when he was making math sums. Nothing. Empty.

After a few very awkward seconds had passed, Kakashi raised an eyebrow and leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "If it's so hard for you to tell me then don't bother," he said, and Kisame grinned in an apologetic way, relieved.

"…Gomen, I just… well, I kinda… promised Ayoku…"

Kakashi wove him off. "As I said. Don't bother." And again it became silent, until Kakashi got a little orange book out of his pocket and started to read it. Kisame tilted his head sideways to be able to read what book it was, and Kakashi noticed. "Hm? You want to know what I'm reading?" he asked, and Kisame got up again, startled.

"Well… it looks… interesting.."

Kakashi smiled and then handed over the book. "Make out paradise," Kisame muttered, reading the title. "Sorry, I don't know that," and he gave it back to the silver haired ninja, who shrugged.

"A shame. I love these books – they're the best time killer there is. And that might come in handy sometimes, especially when you have to wait for a medic to complete their jutsu." Kakashi sighed. "Those medical jutsus can take ages." Suddenly he smiled and he folded his arms behind his head, leaning back and relaxing. "Ne, I was supposed to go to the Hokage this afternoon but I guess I've got a fair good alibi of why I didn't show up… And I had another appointment anyway… hehe… I don't mind at all." He glared at Kisame. "This is between you and me," he whispered, leaning towards Kisame who flinched. "but the Hokage sometimes scares the shit outta me. Don't tell anyone though, especially not her." He shivered. "She'll probably beat me up…"

Kisame smirked, nodding. "Don't worry. Your problem is safe with me." But on the inside, he was still thinking. They couldn't go back to the Akatsuki without Deidara – he had promised the others of taking care of the job. He blushed as he remembered that he had even said that taking Tobi with him was unnecessary, that he would be able to do it on his own.

He also remembered that the others had shared some quick glances before shoving Tobi in his direction, saying that he "at least had to work in pairs to keep the Akastuki spirit", but Kisame knew that they simply didn't want Tobi around. He sighed. The boy was, most of the time, a real pain in the ass.

"Say," he said after a while, when the awkwardness of the moments before had finally passed. "Why were those two doctors wearing handcuffs?"

Kakashi opened his only revealed eye and looked at him. "Long story," he said after hesitating for a split second. Kisame's heart beat faster.

He might not be the smartest of the Akatsuki, he wasn't dumb. He knew it when people where lying or holding back the truth. So there's more to those chains than meets the eye, eh. Interesting.

"Well," he said, smiling at Kakashi. "We've got all the time of the world, haven't we?"

Kakashi sighed. "You're not from here, are you?" he asked, although his question didn't need an answer. Kisame waited for him to go on, and so he did. "I guess not… everyone in the area around Konoha knows." He looked up at him. "Have you ever heard of the organization called 'Akatsuki'?"

Kisame's hands started to feel sweaty. Now he needed to keep his cover, stay in his act, don't show that he knew way more than the silver haired ninja ever could…

He nodded. "I've heard of it. Something about a gang… a very violent one. People who talked about them all seemed quite frightened." Kisame hoped that he didn't sound to proud of what he was saying.

Kakashi nodded. "Well, they've got reasons to. The members of that gang are all missing ninjas, and very strong ones too."

Kisame nearly yelled out of joy. He wanted to drum on his chest and roar: HA! Akatsuki ROCKS!

"All the hidden villages are looking out for them, and, if possible, taking them out." He nodded and seemed lost in memories for a couple of moments. When Kisame coughed he blinked. "Sorry for that. Where was I... oh, yeah. We are obligated of taking them out, or we should take them hostage. Two weeks ago a pair of Akatsuki members showed up and we did as we were asked to. But the taking hostage didn't work out as planned."

Now they were finally coming to the point where Kisame wanted to go to. He didn't notice leaning forwards, towards the silver haired ninja, an eager look on his face. He needed to know what was wrong with the chains, he had to consider that when making up their plan.

"…The chains Sakura-san used turned out to be rare, and their effects were unknown up to that point. We discover new things about them nearly daily, although the major effects were visible directly after the linkage."

"…Major effects? R-rare chains?" Kisame stuttered, throat as dry as the Suna desert. What kind of chains had they used? And what was Kakashi talking about, what kind of things could a set of handcuffs do?"

"Yup. Although they link the two shinobi to each other – what they obviously don't like – it has a lot of positive sides for us. One of them is that he can't kill Sakura-san. Second is that Sakura-san can feel what he is going to do or how he feels." He sighed. "And that all because of a silly pair of handcuffs…"

Kisame fell back, astounded. "How do you mean, he can't kill her?" he asked while his tongue felt as thick as leather. "I thought all Akatsuki members were cold hearted killers… why wouldn't he…?"

Kakashi smiled. "Because he would kill himself in the process. Those chains don't only connect them physically, they seem to also work mentally and their chakra network is scrambled up as well. The only problem with it is that we cant seem to find a solution, nor can we find a key. If you ask me then there simply is no key."

But Kisame wasn't listening anymore. All the prototype ideas he had been thinking on detonated inside of his head as he heard those words. This is impossible, he thought again and this time his heart sank to his feet. He tightened his own grip around his knees. There had to be a way to get Deidara out of there, there had to be…

Then the OR light went off. Kakashi put away "Make out paradise" and got up, shortly followed by Kisame who was sweating heavily due to unsuspected and unforeseen deep thinking. His body, which was used to fight without thinking, couldn't handle it perfectly and that was visible. Then the doors slid open, and a cloud of damp, muggy air whirled around their heads, making Kisame flinch. What the hell?

Then a large bed on wheels appeared, with Tobi lying in it. His only visible eye was closed like before, but this time his facial expression was calm and his eyes were no longer moving around behind their lids. Deidara pushed the bed with a carefulness you wouldn't have suspected from him if you knew him, and Sakura, who walked next to him, had put a hand on Tobi's wrist, smiling at Kakashi and Kisame.

"It's all done," she said and they stopped walking. Kisame forced a relieved smile on his face while he stepped forwards and grabbed Sakura's hand.

"Thank you, Sakura-sama," he said, bowing half. "I don't know how to thank you."

Sakura blushed and her blush deepened when Kisame bowed forwards more and kissed her hand, earning a death glare from Deidara but he didn't notice.

"I **think** Sakura is tired, hmm," he said, raising his voice and startling Sakura, who quickly pulled her hand back. She blushed as she looked sideways to Deidara, who glared to Tawu. That's weird, she thought while rubbing her hand absentmindedly. For a moment just now he sounded… jealous…?

His eyes narrowed for merely a split second and he coughed. "And I would also like to go home. I haven't eaten since nine in the morning, hmm." Sakura smirked. He was jealous.

Inner Sakura jumped around, punched in the air and then landed on her feet, a triumphant expression on her face. **You did it lady! It doesn't matter who, when, how; EVERY guy will fall for us! **

Sakura blushed faintly. But then she scolded at herself. She shouldn't make things up – perhaps she only thought he sounded jealous. She might be seeing – or hearing – things that weren't true. She decided that she had to find more evidence first. What reminds me, she thought as she looked at Deidara again. I need to…

She stopped herself in time but was still aware of what she was going to think. She needed to ask him questions about the Akatsuki, or her entire seduction wouldn't have any use at all. And getting scrambled up with her strange, awkward feelings for an AKATUSKI MEMBER for god's sake for NOTHING was not exactly what she had been aiming at.

"Tawu-san?" She said, stepping towards him. Tawu looked up at her.

"Hai, Sakura-sama?"

"Ayoku-san needs to stay in hospital for a little while. I'll send Shizune with you to get a room for him, although I'm pretty sure we've place so that shouldn't be a problem. I'll check on him tomorrow and if he's okay then you're allowed to go again."

He nodded and bowed again. Shizune stepped forwards from behind Sakura and took the hospital bed from Deidara. "Now if you please follow me?" she asked Tawu who nodded furiously before following the dark haired medic. "Oh, and before I forget," Shizune said, suddenly stopping. "You'll need to fill in a form with your names, land and town of birth, age etcetera. I'll get one for you." And then they walked out of sight.

Kakashi, Deidara and Sakura remained in the corridor, all staring at where Tawu and Shizune had disappeared. Then Deidara coughed, getting Kakashi's and Sakura's attention. "…about that lunch I talked about earlier, hmm…"

Sakura giggled. "Sorry! Got lost in thoughts!" she turned to face her old teacher and smiled at him. "Would you like to have lunch with us, Kakashi-sensei?" she asked on a whim, feeling that she wanted to speak with him. She didn't notice how Deidara tensed behind her.

He cursed inwardly as she asked the copy ninja to come and have lunch with them. The second after that he wondered why. It wasn't like he wanted to… have her for himself… right?

He swallowed as the truth slowly started to sink in. He didn't know about the wanting part, but he definitely didn't want to have Kakashi around. For some reason he wanted to be alone with Sakura, and at the mere thought his head got light and his nose startled to tickle, as he imagined her, lying in his arms, kissing him softly, whispering his name…

No no no! Stop it you baka, he thought, closing his eyes. You might get a nosebleed **in front of that copy ninja, hmm! **He opened his eyes when Sakura poked him lightly.

"Are you coming?" she asked and to his surprise he saw that they had both walked a little end, as far as possible. "I thought you were hungry."

A bit dizzy by his half hearted daydream he nodded and they made their way out of the hospital. Deidara watched Sakura carefully, and he quickly noticed that the medical jutsu she had used to heal the kid had taken a lot out of her. Her breath was uneven and her thoughts were foggy, and she was sweating lightly.

"You seem tired, Sakura," Kakashi said before Deidara could. "Haven't you been sleeping well?"

Deidara nearly vomited. The worried tone in Kakashi's voice might sound pleasant to Sakura, but for some weird reason he got sick by listening to it. He looked away from the conversation on purpose, focusing on the sky which had lightened up a lot after the last few muggy days. And even though he didn't want to listen to that copy ninja anymore, he still followed the conversation.

"No, that's not it," Sakura sighed. "It's just that I haven't been able of training properly and I can feel that… the problem with the training is that we're still stuck to each other and without our lv. 2 connection we're useless together."

Deidara raised an eyebrow. Lv2 connection? Was that how she called the increase in connection between them when they fought together? Kakashi seemed uninformed about their fight and titled his head.

"Lv2 connection? Did I miss something?"

Sakura smiled at him. "You don't know? Deidara and I fought Gaara-sama, like, yesterday, and we found out that in cases of fear or adrenaline the cuffs kind of melt us together… mentally. We move like we're one!" she smirked. "And calling it our 'battle connection' sounded so lame… I like lv2 way more."

Deidara smiled faintly. Hearing lv2 made him remember his own C-2 clay bombs, and for a moment he wanted nothing else than to soar through the sky while throwing bombs on cities and buildings beneath him, watching them explode in their brilliant orange and red colors…

He blinked when Sakura waved her free hand in front of his face, giving him a puzzled look. "What?" he asked, sounding rather annoyed. She grinned. "You weren't paying attention! We've arrived."

Deidara looked over her head and saw that she was right; they were indeed already standing in front of their apartment door, inside of Tsunade's office. He quickly recovered from his little mistake. "Um, well, er… Oh, has the Kage answered to our note? I don't see him here, hmm."

Sakura frowned. "What exactly makes you think it's a he! It could be a she too, you know. I mean, take our Hokage for example. She's a woman too so why wont this one…"

"O cut it out already, hmm," he sniffed, rolling his eyes. "Okay okay, he or she, whatever. Is there an answer, hmm?"

Sakura shook her head and then opened the door, letting Kakashi in first. "Nope, nothing at all. But the note is gone so I take it that the kage" she stressed the words to exaggerate that at least she wasn't making early decisions, "…has read it and has left before we arrived."

Deidara shrugged. Somehow he felt disappointed for not being able to speak with the Kage. For some weird reason he had had the feeling that he might have known him, and that same strange reason also made him believe that they were indeed speaking of a he and not of a she.

"Do you not know the Kage you were going to see then?" Kakashi asked in his always lazy tone when they had taken seats and had started to eat lunch, consisting of bread, butter, milk and cheese. Sakura shook her head and so did Deidara.

"Nope," they said at the same time, and after that they looked at each other for a split second before looking away, a faint blush creeping on their cheeks.

Darn I hate those cuffs, Sakura thought while acting like she was looking for something in her pocket, unaware of the fact that Deidara was doing exactly the same. She heard him laugh softly as he heard her thoughts and couldn't help but smile.

Kakashi tried not to notice but he did: the oh so clear evidence that there was something going on between the two in front of him. And as he watched them act clumsily towards each other and especially to him, he started to feel kind of… misplaced.

He knew about Tsunade's plan to secretly interrogate Deidara through Sakura, but as he watched them he wondered how far the results of that technique would take them. Perhaps the consequences of Sakura's part are going to get hard to ignore, he thought while he absentmindedly chewed on a piece of bread. I'll talk about it with the Hokage tomor…

His eyes flew open and he stood from the table, nearly knocking over everyone's cups and plates, earning a cry of surprise of both Sakura and Deidara. "Kakashi-sensei," Sakura exclaimed, getting up as well. "What is wrong?!"

Kakashi looked at her and then looked around the apartment, obviously searching for something. When he didn't seem to find what he had been looking for, he looked back, a nearly hysterical look on his face. "What's the time?" he yelled, nearly jumping up and down in nerves. "How late is it?!"

Sakura looked at Deidara and then back to Kakashi. "I don't know," she said, her voice slightly faster than normal. The hysterical behavior of her teacher started to affect her slightly. Where is that clock?!

Deidara, the one who seemed to stay miraculously calm under the circumstances, sighed and then pulled Sakura and Kakashi behind him towards the kitchen where the clock hung. "here," he said, sounding dead bored. "There's the clock."

As Kakashi saw it the little color that was left in his face swept away and he clamped onto the nearby wall, panting. "Oh my god she's going to kill me," he muttered, more to himself than to Sakura and Deidara. "Er, thanks for the lunch but I really need to go or I'll be dead by tomorrow!!"

He raced by Deidara and Sakura, opened the door and then left, while yelling: "See you Sakura! Good luck with… er… Everything!!"

Sakura didn't notice but her jaw had nearly dropped to the floor while staring at the empty door opening. Kakashi… the lazy, always late teacher, actually worried about being late? What was wrong with the world? Wasn't she dreaming?

Deidara though slowly started to get happier with the second. At first he hadn't realized it, but now it started to get clearer. Now Kakashi was finally gone, and he and Sakura were alone again. Alone in an apartment with a nice, comfortable and also large bed, not even to speak of the couch in the living room. He looked at Sakura and as she looked back and their eyes met she quickly closed her mouth, and before one could even speak she started to blush.

Deidara smiled. "Finally, hmm," he whispered, stepping closer to her and stroking some hair out of her face.

"F-finally what?" Sakura asked, her voice shaky and her face hot with blush. Deidara smirked and then decided that it was probably better to show her what he meant. So he bent forwards and kissed her, lips parted. She answered his kiss faster than he had expected and soon they were kissing furiously, slowly making their way towards the couch.

She didn't know when they had decided to go to the couch, but they were heading towards it and she couldn't care. Her entire being, her mind, her senses; everything was overwhelmed by Deidara and his lips, not even to speak of the action inside of their mouths…

She felt the sofa beneath her and then he lay on top of her, kissing her lips before trailing kisses down her cheek and neck, his hands roaming aimlessly on her back, pressing her close to him. She moaned as he bit her ear lightly and he chuckled.

His hands slid beneath her shirt and she uttered a cry of surprise. "…don't.." she managed to speak in between hot kisses, and she tried to push him off. As an answer he kissed her again, this time softly, before taking off her shirt.

This was a step too far and Sakura pushed him off her, panting and holding her shirt in front of her to hide away her underwear. "…it's too fast," she panted, staring at him. "too fast…"

He looked away from her and stubbornly refused to meet her gaze as a very awkward silence fell on them. Sakura bit her lower lip while trying to put on her shirt which wasn't very easy as Deidara was not exactly cooperative. In the end she ended up cutting the shirt above her left arm and putting it on that way, before trying to fix the fabric with the little chakra she had left after the operation jutsu.

After that she looked at Deidara for a long time, her stomach knitting together inside of her belly. It had been too fast, he had been the one to make early decisions. He was in no position to force her into anything, so why did she feel so bad for making a decision that was only natural for her to make?

"…Deidara," she whispered after a while, feeling guilty even though she knew that he should be feeling guilty too. He said nothing and then Sakura placed her hand on his leg, feeling him tense under her touch. He didn't shake her hand off and that gave her enough courage to go on. "Deidara… I just… don't get mad at me… it's just that I…"

He looked down and then again away from her, and Sakura's eyes flew to window in which she could see a vague reflection of his face. It startled her to see that he wasn't looking angry or frustrated, but that his face was scrambled together in an expression she could only define as… plain sad…

"I've never… never before… this would be…"

He sighed and then turned around slowly, still not meeting her eyes. "I understand, hmm," he muttered and Sakura's voice slowly died away while she looked at him. "I'm older, I've had… more experience, hmm. It's just…" he looked up and Sakura's breath hitched in her throat as she saw his eyes, which were filled with so much tenderness and emotion that she wondered for a moment if it was actually Deidara sitting in front of her. Suddenly he grasped her hands in his and leaned forwards, his face nearly touching hers.

"Just know," he said before leaning and kissing her lips swiftly, entirely different from before.

"I'd never hurt you, hmm."

Sakura's eyes widened. He had said the words in a way that was way too tender, way too sweet for a bad Akatsuki guy. It couldn't be that a murderer and bomber like he could say something like that, in a way that he touched her soul, and before she knew it, tears were streaming down her cheeks and she started shaking.

He smiled and then hugged her, and Sakura buried her head beneath his, breathing in his scent while sobbing silently. His free arm was wrapped around them while their chained hands lay intertwined in their laps, and she snuggled even closer. Then, after a while, Deidara took in a deep breath and Sakura looked up.

"…something wrong?" she asked, her voice sleepy as she had nearly fallen asleep against him, completely forgotten her interrogation plan. He was looking at the ceiling and then looked down, to her, smiling faintly.

"I was just thinking," he said and his smile got wider. "What do you think about a little trip to the stars, hmm?"

Sakura needed a moment to decide what he meant and then her eyes got wide. "Y-you mean, on one of your b-birds?" she stuttered, adrenaline soaring through her veins and she was completely aware that it was not only his. He grinned.

"Exactly, hmm."

**I guess it should have been longer, looking to the title of the chapter, but at least there****'s some DeiSaku action in this one again and if things go on like this then perhaps in the next chapter too… But I don't promise a thing so don't get mad at me if it doesn't! **

**Until the next chap!**


	15. Questions and answers

Finally, this chapter simply wrote itself

**Finally, this chapter simply wrote itself! I'm kinda relieved because that means that I've got inspiration again, and I missed that a bit on the last chapter… which I still hope is not too much visible ;) But the long awaited BIG change is finally coming, and I really enjoyed writing this chapter. So I hope you enjoy reading it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Chapter fifteen: Questions and answers**

They climbed up the iron stairs on the outside of the Hokage building, hearts racing inside of their chests as they both knew that what they were going to do was absolutely NOT allowed. Sakura grinned as they reached the top of the building and the wind blew around her face, and she closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the fact that she was for once breaking the rules.

She opened her eyes and saw Deidara staring at her. When she noticed the stars behind him she frowned. "ano, Deidara," she said, tilting her head while he seemed to be looking for something. "It's this late already?"

He had a happy expression on his face and was panting from the fast climb upstairs when he answered. "well… you fell asleep… and I… kind off..."

She blushed but a hysterical smile had glued itself to her lips and she smiled at him. He looked up from his pockets and when their eyes met he frowned.

"Where did that crazy Hokage of yours leave my clay, hmm?" he asked, and Sakura couldn't help but giggle. He gave her a puzzled look. "What? What's so funny?"

"nothing, nothing," she said before she giggled again, this time louder, and Deidara's eyes widened while he said "Shh! They might hear you!"

As in they were the people staying in the apartments directly beneath their feet.

"Sorry," she said, smiling wider. "It's just… the way you said that…"

He frowned. "Said what?"

"… crazy Hokage." And again a hysterical giggle made its way out of her mouth and she clapped forwards in an attempt to silence herself. She felt that Deidara was enjoying seeing her act like that.

"I must say, hmm," he said, his lips tugged upwards in a playful grin. "I'd never thought you'd get this high of breaking the rules."

"I do nót," she said before she punched him and then pulled him after her, towards the stairs. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. "where are you taking me!"

Sakura smirked while she said; "Not so loud, Deidei. They might hear you."

He would've hit her if she had said that before that evening. But something had changed dramatically between them, like a strange barrier that had been in the way all the time had finally come down. They acted more like they would to a fellow Konoha ninja – or, in his case, a fellow Akatsuki member. What he had said to her, the words he had spoken but above all the way in which they had been said, had led to an even closer connection between them.

If that was already possible.

"Since when do you call me Deidei," Deidara asked, and his voice gave away that he didn't really like the name. "I liked Deidara-kun better, hmm."

"Exactly," Sakura whispered while they sneaked through the corridors, towards the sealed room where artifacts or hostile items were held, secure for outsiders. Careful not to make to much sound when they passed Tsunade's room, she didn't continue her sentence until they were far enough. "…and that's exactly why I'm going to call you that more often, Deidei."

He grumbled and Sakura smiled. It was true what he had said. Breaking the rules, sneaking through the deserted Hokage building at night while she should be in bed, being together with an Akatsuki member – it all made her feel giggly and excited and the truth was – she liked it. A lot.

"Here it is," she said, panting lightly while she examined the locked door. Although it looked like a plain door with a normal lock, she was pretty sure it wasn't. After all, there were some pretty dangerous items held here, and she couldn't imagine that Tsunade would just let anyone in.

"I can pick locks, hmm," Deidara whispered and she felt his breath tickle her neck. She looked at him over her shoulder.

"I don't think you can pick this one," she answered before turning her attention back to the door and she placed her hands on the lock, sending chakra through it. "I guess it's a special lock…"

Suddenly her knees trembled and before she knew it she'd collapsed in front of the door, panting heavily while holding onto doorway. Deidara let out a groan as the exhaustion hit him too and he sank through his knees next to her, gasping. "How come you're so tired?" he asked, his voice low.

"The medic jutsu," she whispered, her entire body trembling slightly. "I had to unfold that guys stomach which he had miraculously pinched together to the size of a walnut…"

Deidara nodded. "well, either way, you wont be able to use any more chakra, hmm. Can't I try to pick it?"

Sakura sighed. "you can try," she muttered, her voice still very weak. "But I don't think that…"

He already stood and carefully observed the lock, bowed forwards so that Sakura wouldn't have to hold up her arm. As she watched him she remembered how darn hard it had been at first for them to get used to the chains, and to how far away of each other they could go.

And now we act like the chains are a part of our body, she thought, smiling weakly. The fact that Deidara was actually bowing forwards because he knew the limits of the chains was one example of that.

Then she heard a clicking sound and she looked up, slightly startled by the sudden loud sound. When she saw Deidara standing in front of a very open door her mouth fell open and she gazed at him with an astonished expression on her face. "How did you…?"

He grinned. "I told you I could pick locks, hmm," he said. "You should bear more trust in me!"

She rolled her eyes and then got up shakily, helped by Deidara a bit. "And you're sure that my clay is in here?" he asked while they stood in the doorway, staring in the dark. The delirious feeling of minutes ago had drained away and now they were left behind with an empty sensation in their stomach pits, and suddenly Sakura hesitated for a second.

"Of course," she said, still a bit shaky. "And there you go and say that I should bear more trust in you…"

It was very dark inside of the storage room. Sakura didn't really like the darkness and she grabbed Deidara's hand on a whim, completely aware that he didn't like it when she did that. But she needed to feel that he was close to her – even when she had to touch his jucky bloodline limit for that.

"Can you see something, Deidara?" she whispered, walking closer to him.

"Not really, hmm… don't you guys here in Konoha have light switches or something?"

"We can't turn on the lights, they'll see us," Sakura hissed and the second after that she walked right into a cobweb. The sticky substance clang onto her face and she shrieked, slapping it off her and stepping a step or two back in pure terror. If there was something she hated, then it were spiders. Without a doubt.

"No, of course that won't get their attention," Deidara said sarcastically. Sakura tried not to pay too much attention to it.

"Shouldn't you be looking for your clay instead of picking on me…?" she retorted, still wiping off her face to make sure that there wouldn't be any more cobweb left. He sniffed and they walked on, their eyes slowly getting used to the dark.

"Is it this?" Sakura asked as her eyes fell on a small, beige bag that lay in one of the cleanest corners of the room. "It looks like it hasn't been here for long… there's not so much dust…"

Deidara kneeled slowly, and Sakura quickly did the same to allow him to examine the beige bag. He picked it up from the floor, looked it over and then carefully opened the zipper, staring inside. Then a wide grin nearly split his face in two and Sakura felt a thrill of excitement shoot right through her stomach.

"…and?"

He looked up from the bag and then attached it to his belt. "Let me show you how good my art really is, hmm."

She didn't know how fast they got up the stairs, without making any noise which was quite an accomplishment. Then when they reached the rooftop again they stopped walking, both staring at the stars, knowing that they would soon be flying through that same nightly sky.

Then Deidara put his hand in the bag of clay, a highly concentrated look on his face, and soon Sakura felt the faint feeling of his dehydrating chakra which he was using for molding his clay. "It doesn't have to be explosive," she warned, panting slightly.

"I know, hmm," he said, "That's exactly why this is taking me so darn long…!"

Then he got his hand out of the belt and started kneading the finished clay, a drop of sweat running down his neck. Sakura caught herself staring at it and she quickly looked away, her breath hitching in her throat.

Then a soft poofing sound made her look up again. She saw an enormous bird, nearly the same as the one on which Deidara had flown away from her and her fight with Sasori, folding its wings and looking at her with a rather intelligent look in its black eyes. The wings were long and snow white, the details were cut out sharp and the majestic paws looked nearly real.

"Deidara," she gasped. "It's awesome…!"

He blushed slightly and then grinned. He didn't answer but Sakura hadn't been expecting that. She had never heard Deidara say 'thank you' to anyone. "Is it…" she muttered and she carefully took a step closer. "Can it carry us??"

He laughed out loud and Sakura looked up, startled. "Shh!" she hissed, eyes wide. "You might…!"

"We're going to fly on top of that thing," he whispered, smirking at her and also ignoring her completely. "Of course it can carry us, hmm. What reminds me, you'll probably have problems getting up…"

And then he suddenly scooped her up in his arms, ignoring her cries of protest, walking towards the bird. "Deidara!" she yelled, punching his chest with her free hand, completely forgetting that they had to be silent. "Lemme go! Let me go you jerk!! Let me down now or I'll scream so loud that they will hear us and-"

He silenced her by placing his lips on hers and kissed her passionately. All the air got sucked out of her lungs and throat by surprise and when he removed his lips he had achieved what he wanted. She was silent and simply stared at his face, which was still very close. "Could you stop…" she whispered eventually, her lips barely moving. "Making a habit out of that… please?" He smiled and then kissed her again, this time softer and longer, until a sudden yelp of surprise made them both look up.

Naruto stood on the edge of the rooftop, near the iron stairs, his eyes wide open and his jaw dropped to the floor while his pointed out finger was trembling. "S-Sakura-chan? With D-Deidara?" he asked, his voice hoarse. He stepped back, shaking his head in disbelief. "No… no this can't be, this cant be, this must be a bad dream or something…" then his eyes focused on Deidara and in a flash Sakura saw the air around him change. "Temee," he grunted, and chakra started to leak out of his body. "I will not…" more and more chakra leaked out, now crimson colored, and as he spoke his pointy teeth were visible. "…let you take Sakura-chan with you…" he bowed forwards slightly and then let out a howl of pain when suddenly an enormous amount of chakra shot right out him, surrounding his body and forming tails behind him. When he looked up again his eyes were wide and blood red.

"…And I cannot forgive you for letting yourself in with a guy like him, Sakura-chan!!"

Then the seriousness of the situation started to sink in as Naruto launched himself towards them, roaring a wild battle cry and with his fist ready for attack. At the moment for impact Sakura felt the somehow comforting click inside of her, signing that their lv2 connection had just been activated, and they both jumped back, landing perfectly before dodging another furious attack coming from a now wild Naruto.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed as his fist nearly hit her face, barely missed it in inches, and he stumbled past her. "Stop this! What do you think you're-" her eyes widened as he launched himself at them again and she ducked while Deidara stepped left. Naruto flew over Sakura and was for a split second completely unable of defending himself. Deidara pulled back and hit Naruto, but the fox cloak dodged his attack completely and Deidara got swooped back by its power. Sakura got pulled with him and they both crashed into the floor, groaning. Another furious howl made them get up quickly and there was Naruto again, his fists accompanied by the Kyuubi's claws. One slash of those and I'm out, Sakura thought panicking when his fist missed her stomach but the claws scratched her skin lightly.

She stumbled back together with Deidara and then they both jumped up in the sky, surprising Naruto slightly. Deidara got down faster and tried to hit Naruto, but he jumped away, to the side. Sakura got down a split second later and landed in front of Naruto, fist back, and then smashed her fist right in his face, where she hoped that the fox' cloak was the weakest.

He let out a roar of pain and held his face in his hands while he stumbled back, right against Deidara who was waiting for him. Sakura froze when she saw how Deidara kicked Naruto to the floor and then continued kicking him until all the crimson chakra was gone, and then he kicked him once more, shooting him away. "Stop it Deidara!" she yelled, trying to get to Naruto. She had only planned on making him stop, that's why she hadn't used her chakra to punch. But he pulled her back, making her unable of reaching her best friend who lay unconscious on the edge of the roof, blood leaking out of the corner of his mouth.

The click went off and Sakura nearly sank through her knees again, hit by a sudden heavy exhaustion. Deidara grasped her shoulders and then dragged her with him towards the clay bird, and Sakura, who was too tired to even move, couldn't stop him. He got up the bird and placed her in front of him, wrapping an arm around her, and then the bird spread its enormous wings, ready for takeoff. Then suddenly Sakura realized that something was terribly wrong.

Deidara hadn't been planning on taking her on a romantic 'trip to the stars'. He had just been waiting for an opportunity to make his leave out of the city. Her eyes widened as she slowly realized that everything that he had said to her, heck, everything that he had done – had all been an act. It had all been a lie. All the tenderness, the few romantic moments they had had together, the fun they'd had together, had all just lead to this one moment. Tears ran down her face as the bird sank through its paws and then launched itself in the sky, air whirling around them.

How could I've been so stupid? How could I've let him make me believe him so easily…?

His arm around her waist suddenly wrapped itself more tighter, making her gasp for air, and a half sob, half cry made its way out of her throat. Then she felt his nose against her ear, and as the bird got higher and higher, she also felt his breath stroke her cheek lightly. "I guess you found out, hmm," he said, and she froze completely as the tone he had used was completely different from before. It was cold, heartless, but above all distant and filled with something that she could only define as joy. It reminded her of when they had first met.

"You sadist," she hissed with the little air she had left. He chuckled and then kissed her earlobe softly, making her close her still crying eyes while a tear dripped down her cheek and landed on her collarbone.

"I like it when you're angry," he whispered and she let out a loud sob. "…And I don't really hate it when you're sad as well, hmm, hehehe…"

A tear made its way down her cheek and dropped on his hand.

- The next morning -

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and blinked against the sudden light. He groaned when he tried to get up and felt bruises all over his body, making him fall back to where he had been. How the hell did I get here? He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before making another attempt on getting up. This time he succeeded and he bit through the sharp pain coming from his ribcage, sitting up, panting. He felt dried up blood on his down lip and chin and wondered how it came there.

Then he remembered where he was and why. The memories shot through his head, and his eyes widened while his irises shrank miraculously small. He didn't hesitate nor did he mind the pain as he got up as fast as he could and then nearly fell of the rooftop when he missed the stairs. He ran down, skipping as much steps as possible, landed with a loud thump on the iron deck and then ran towards Tsunade's room, pounding on the wooden door as hard as he could. "Tsunade-baachan!!" he shrieked, his breath hitching in his throat every second. "Get up!! Sakura's… Sakura's gone!!"

He heard a loud thump, then the sound of footsteps and then the door swung open, revealing Tsunade. If things hadn't been messy Naruto would've burst out in laughter seeing the Hokage in her pajama's: a silk small dress which barely fit the description of pajama, so small. Her face though was as serious as he had thought it would be.

"What do you mean, Naruto!" she yelled, grabbing his collar, forcing him to rip his gaze off her pajama. "How do you mean 'Sakura's gone'!"

Naruto made a gurgling sound and then Tsunade dropped him to the ground. "…she left," he gasped, still searching for air. "…she left together with him… yesterday evening…"

If Tsunade hadn't already been looking shocked than that would've happened right now. "**What?! **She left with Deidara?! Why didn't you hold them back, for god's sake!"

Naruto was about to say that he had been kind off outnumbered by two outstanding ninja when Tsunade smacked him out of the way, racing down the Hokage building stairs in her pajamas, her face white of shock. Luckily it was still early so no one saw her, but at that very moment she couldn't have cared less if she had been naked.

Only one thought repeated itself again and again, forcing her to run even faster, forcing her to think on top speed to find a solution. Sakura left with Deidara. She actually left.

She reached the streets and sprinted over the main street, knocking over some vendors and their merchandizing, not paying any attention to their loud yells at all. Most people didn't even had the time to scream, as they were enormously distracted at the fact that the woman with probably the largest cupsize of the city was running through town in a mini dress, pushing over and running into everyone she met.

She stopped in front of hotel Konohagakure and tried to open the door. She roared out in anger and frustration as she found out that it was locked, then pulled her fist back and smacked the entire door out of the way, waking everyone up with the sound of breaking glass and ripped apart wood. She jumped inside and dashed up the stairs, digging in her memory to remember where Dotongu was staying.

Her mind had automatically driven her towards him as he was at the moment the only one capable of knowing what Deidara might do, or where he might go to. And she couldn't afford loosing Sakura like she had lost Sasuke back then, nor would she be able to handle Naruto if that happened. He was so hard to control even when all his friends were just healthy and all in town…

Then she reached the door of Dotongu's room. Deciding that she might as well go on with ruining everything that stood in her way, she lifted the door out of its hangings and then threw it on the corridor, stepping inside. "Dotongu!" she yelled, hurrying towards the bedroom. "Dotongu wake up!! Doto-…"

Her voice died away as she reached the bedroom and found him sitting in front of the window, fully dressed, even with his hair combed. "I'd already suspected you to come, Tsunade," he said without turning around. "Since they've left, haven't they, un?"

"how do you know?" Tsunade stuttered, a shocked expression plastered on her face while her body slowly started trembling. Dotongu turned around painfully slow and looked at her, and Tsunade's heart missed a beat as she saw the incredible sad expression on his face.

"I saw them leaving," he whispered. "but I couldn't do a thing as soon as they had gotten airborne, un. I guess I were too late, as always."

Tsunade looked at him and then she slowly seemed to realize that she was actually standing in front of the Tsucikage with a dress made out of so less fabric that it was a disgrace that she had paid so much for it.

"But I take it that you'd like my advise, un?" he asked, his eyes locked to her face. "About Deidara? About his directions?"

Unable to speak, Tsunade nodded, staring at Dotongu. She hadn't expected him to be so emotionally hit by the event, nor had she expected him to actually see the event take place. When he smiled sadly she felt her stomach become of stone before it sank towards her feet.

"I'm afraid I know even less about Deidara than you do, Tsunade-sama." He sighed and then suddenly his eyes got fierce. "But that doesn't mean that I wont help you find him, Un. But before we go and get them back," and he got up from the chair and led Tsunade to his dresser. "you get yourself something to wear and then we'll talk with the ANBU… also, Mizura is coming back to town today so you might want to talk with her first."

Tsunade merely nodded and randomly picked something out of the dresser. She had no idea of what she had done if Dotongu hadn't been in town. If he hadn't been here then the situation would've gotten out of hand and she would've probably dealt more damage to the city than helping them with their problem.

"Dotongu," she whispered when he gently shove her out of the apartment after she had dressed, and he hang the door back into the hangings, trying to remove the slightest bits of damage. "Thank you, I mean, you shouldn't have done this, it was…"

He shook his head. "Thank me later if we've found your kunoichi. Keep your head clear, Tsunade-sama."

He's even using the sama suffix. She nodded as quick as possible and then followed him down the stairs. As soon as they'd gotten down, she noticed the mess she had made and she blushed slightly.

"Clean this," she ordered to one of the still astounded body guards who nodded as if his life depended on it, probably afraid of what she might do to him if he even dared to argue with her. Then she and Dotongu got out on the street, bumping into Naruto and Kakashi who had probably been waiting for them.

"Tsunade-baachan!"

"Tsunade-sama."

She nodded at them. "This is Dotongu," she said, quickly introducing him to them. "He's the Tsuchikage from the North and he's helping us. Kakashi, I take it that Naruto has informed you about what happened?"

Kakashi nodded, bowing quickly for Dotongu who bowed back. Naruto didn't but that was to be expected.

"Naruto told me the outlines," he said while he tried to make Naruto bow as well. The blonde shook his hand of and then gasped with pain. Kakashi didn't notice it. "So it's true that Sakura actually left with Deidara?"

"…unfortunately, it is," Tsunade said. "But I do not know any more about it than that to be honest. Naruto, tell us, and tell us everything. From out the moment that you saw them."

Naruto nodded weakly. "I'd like to, Tsunade-baachan, but that Akatsuki bastard hit me pretty hard…" and he spat out blood. "Speaking hurts, dattebayo."

Tsunade frowned. "You didn't let out the Kyuubi chakra did you," she asked, her voice angry as she already expected the answer. He bowed his head in shame and Tsunade raised her hands towards the sky. "When do you finally realize that that's not the way to solve you problems, Naruto! Now come here and I'll heal you, but then you'll tell us everything."

She healed him rather quickly and he cracked a few of his joints to check them before he smiled at them all and cleared his throat.

- Flashback, with Naruto's point of view -

"Well, I lay in bed, sleeping, like everyone else, when suddenly I remembered letting something behind in your office, Tsunade-baachan. At first I thought, 'ah, well, I'll get that tomorrow', but I was awake and I couldn't stop thinking about it so in the end I decided to just get it. You know, to get it over with."

"Naruto! Less details!"

"Gomen! Anyway, I went to the Hokage building and it was really dark outside. There were some stars but it was still very cloudy and I had trouble finding the right building. You'll all have to believe me if I tell you that I nearly entered the building next to it – it's just that everything looks the same in the dark.

Well after that I entered the right building and I got to your office. The door was open and I found that suspicious since you always lock the door behind you, Tsunade-baachan, so I entered really carefully. When I got in I also noted that the door to their special apartment was open as well.

But I was sleepy so I didn't really pay much attention to it and just got what I came for…"

"Which was exactly?"

"Errr… nothing important! It has nothing to do with the story, dattebayo! Ahem… eh… oh, yeah. After that I was just about to leave again when I heard Sakura-chan scream. I know it when she screams because I've heard that a lot, and I dropped whatever I'd been looking for and I ran up the stairs, since the voice had been from above."

Tsunade interrupted him. "How did the scream sound like? Angry, sad, happy?"

Naruto had to think about that slightly. "… more as if they were playing some game and he had won or something. I don't know how to describe it but that was how it was like, but she was still screaming, you know. And when I ran up the stairs I could make out what she was saying. She yelled 'let me go', so I got even more angrier at that temee.

But when I got up the stairs I… I saw them…"

His voice died and he looked away, blushing fanatically. Tsunade raised an eyebrow and so did Dotongu, but Kakashi had the faint feeling that he knew what Naruto had seen. The blonde seemed rather troubled by it and they decided to go to the Hokage building again, to sit down in a private room without all the other people on the streets listening in.

They got there pretty quickly and Kakashi went away to get the ANBU together while Tsunade and Dotongu sat down in front of Naruto to listen to his story. The blonde nodded, cleared his throat again and then continued speaking with a deep blush on his face.

"… when I got up I thought he might have had hit her, but as soon as I could see them that was absolutely out of the question. They were…. They were… they were kissing." He swallowed while all the color swept out of Tsunade's face. "…and not in the way brothers and sisters do, dattebayo… And I… I don't know… I got a bit hysterical, you know, and I let out a cry of surprise. But I'm sure everyone would've… I mean, who had ever seen that coming?!"

Tsunade looked to her feet. "Naruto," she said, "you were aware of the plan to interrogate Deidara through Sakura, weren't you? If I remember correctly then you even agreed with it."

Naruto's eyes grew wide and then he jumped up from his chair, hands on the table. "You mean that that temee has taken advantage on Sakura-chan?!"

Tsunade shook her head sadly and Dotongu, the gentleman, put an arm around her shoulders to calm her down. "It's okay, Tsunade-sama," he said. "No one saw this coming, as Naruto-kun already said. So you shouldn't blame yourself for this."

She sobbed. "but I do," she muttered. "I knew something wasn't right when I checked their room tapes lately… they acted way too nervous around each other… I should have done something.."

Then Naruto bowed over the table and smacked Tsunade in the face, snapping her head sideways with wide open eyes. Dotongu stumbled back, amazed by the rudeness of the ninja, and stared at Naruto. "I'm sorry, Tsunade-baachan," he panted. "But I cant let you do this to yourself. We must act now instead of sob in self despair." He smashed his fist on the wooden table. "And I will get Sakura back. Even if it takes me another four years, I will eventually retrieve her, like I did with Sasuke." His eyes shot fire as they met Tsunade's. "And that's a promise of a lifetime, dattebayo."

**Phew… long chapter! Nine pages! Which reminds me to tell you guys that we've nearly hit the one hundred! Three more and we're there…. See you all next time!**


	16. The return

**Thanks for the reviews!! Really, I've never had so many reviews on one chapter!! Well, here is the new one, and I'm very glad to tell you all that I'm now actually allowed to work at this story for school – how cool's that?**

**Enjoy!**

**  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

* * *

**Chapter sixteen: ****The return**

The sun was coming up from behind the horizon, making the entire world glow orange and yellow. One lonely man stood on top of a tree, which was waving in the gentle breeze, while he looked over the city that lay in the valley in front of him. His dark eyes flew over the buildings and streets, following people into their houses, simply enjoying the moment.

Then he looked up, at the sky, towards the sun, and he closed his eyes while the sunbeams warmed his cold skin. _Damn… _he thought. _It's been way too long since I've been here. This last mission took me long…_

His lips curled into a faint smile. _Sakura… _he looked back to the city. _I'm back._

He dashed down the tree and started sprinting towards Konoha, his raven black hair spiky and his jonin outfit muddied from his last mission in the land of the Fields. His ninja sandals were also muddy and his Konoha headband was scratched heavily. In his head, Sasuke was already thinking about what he would do when he got back home. Most of his thoughts were about Sakura, the pink haired girl that he had slowly started to love.

He sighed. His mission had taken him too long to complete. He had thought that he would finish it in two weeks, but it had taken him a month, and he had a funny feeling in his stomach that warned him for something, but also pushed him to run even faster towards town. He frowned slightly. He kept thinking about Sakura, kept hoping that she would be still waiting for him – and he didn't know why.

_Don't rush yourself, Sasuke, _he said to himself, slowing his pace down slightly. _She'll be waiting for you, without a doubt. She's waited five years for you, or even more. She'll be able to wait another month…_

When the city gates got in sight he gasped and landed on the floor, eyes wide with shock. The gate was destroyed completely, like it had exploded. Several ninja were busy with cleaning the mess and as he examined the broken building he found out that they had probably been busy with repairing it. So that meant that the damage was old, but not from very long ago.

He ran towards the gate and then tapped one of the working ninja on his back, making the man look up to him. As he saw him his eyes, which had been shut for the sun, opened and he smiled at him.

"Ah! Sasuke-san! You're back home I see."

Sasuke smiled at the man, but it wasn't really how he felt. On the inside he felt nervous and jumpy about something, and he wanted nothing more than to run towards Sakura's apartment and hold her in his arms. "Yes, I'm back. What happened to the gate?"

The man looked to the devastated gate and then back to Sasuke. "You weren't there, were you, Sasuke-san?" when Sasuke shook his head the ninja continued. "Two, maybe three weeks ago, two Akatsuki members attacked the city."

Sasuke's eyes widened with shock. "Akatsuki?" he whispered, head racing towards his brother, which was still alive and still part of the gang.

The man nodded. "Yes indeed. One with blond hair, and another with a strange orange mask… they were here for Naruto-san, but he managed to surprise them and followed them out to the forests. Now I don't know exactly what happened there, but Sakura-san followed him a few minutes later, yelling to us that we should prepare for the worst."

Sasuke nodded, a frown etched in his face. If Naruto got emotional he could easily release too much Kyuubi chakra and lose a hold of himself. In that case he could eventually become a serious threat to the city. "What happened?" he asked, also noting that the man had said that Sakura had followed Naruto in the forest.

The man shrugged. "As I said before, I don't know what happened there. But I do know that, after Naruto came back to warn us, a day later, an ANBU squad came back, accompanying Sakura-san and one of the Akatsuki lads. I don't know his name very well… eh… something with Dei… Anyway, they came back, and we all suspected our Hokage-sama to interrogate him and kill him afterwards. Like we were ordered to."

Sasuke's heart beat faster with the second. "And didn't that happen then?" he asked, aware of the fact that his voice was trembling. When the man shook his head his heart skipped a beat.

_What the hell happened?_

"It seems that Sakura-san had used some weird handcuffs to chain herself to the Akatsuki lad… I don't know the details but those cuffs melted their bodies together."

Sasuke's entire body trembled and he had to hold onto a piece of the gateway to make sure that he didn't fell. "Melted together?" he whispered, face white as a sheet.

"Indeed. I also heard rumors. That the Akatsuki guy could read Sakura-san's thoughts, and that Sakura-san could feel what he was going to do – but I'm not sure about those. What I am sure about is that they were connected in such a way that the damage inflicted to one will also be inflicted to the other."

Sasuke nodded. "And where is Tsunade-sama?" he asked, suddenly getting to the point. "I need to speak with her about this."

The man nodded. "Eh, I guess she's in the conference building. I heard that she's been running through town this morning in her pajamas, hysterical screaming for some guy named Dotongu. So if I were you I'd be careful when you're around her. She might hit you without a reason."

Sasuke didn't even listen to the man anymore and was starting to run towards the conference room, putting his hand up towards the man. "Thanks! Success with the repairing!"

- in the Conference room -

"So if I get it right, your kunoichi left this city together with your captured Akatsuki hostage?"

"Isn't she a missing ninja then?"

"What rank does she have in the bingo book?"

"Are we allowed to kill if we find her?"

"SHUT UP!!"

There were a lot of people in the conference room, ANBU, kages, high ranked ninjas, and they were all talking through each other, all with their own questions which all desperately needed an answer. Tsunade, already a bit shaky because of the shock she had received that morning, couldn't stand the rumor at all and was nearly exploding of anger. The ANBU, already familiar with the Hokage's sudden mood swings, quickly all stopped talking and soon the others followed them.

Tsunade let out a sigh and then looked up, seeing all the eyes in the room fixed on her, awaiting her answers.

"It is true," she began, her voice loud so that everyone could hear. "That one of my top kunoichi has left town together with Deidara, member of the Akatsuki."

Again everyone started talking, arguing about what should happen and how they should punish the kunoichi in question.

"But," Tsunade yelled, silencing the crowd again. "We have reasons to believe that she didn't go with him on free will. In fact, all the evidence we have points out to the contrary." She glared at everyone and soon the silence became pressing on everyone's shoulders. "We believe that Haruno Sakura has been forced to leave the village. But because she's in a tight position, she wont be able to free herself from him nor will she be able to kill him. All we can hope on is that she'll be able to get them back here."

"But," Naruto said, who stood next to Tsunade. "Hoping alone will not help Sakura-chan. We know for sure that we can trace them down, and we will help her to come back to the city. But Konoha cannot do that on its own."

"That's right," Tsunade added, nodding towards Naruto to sign that he shouldn't say anything anymore. This was enough. "We need help, from other experienced ninja cities, if possible also from other countries. Everything is welcome. Even if it's just food for the search team."

It remained silent. No one said a word. Tsunade swallowed. She had expected people to get up and help them. Konoha had always had quite good relations with the other villages, so why didn't they help them out now?

But the problem was, that retrieving two ninjas in an such a large area was a mission impossible, and all the present chiefs or kages all knew that very well. Also did Mizura, who sat next to Dotongu and was staring at her hands, feeling quite bad. Her village was in debt with Konoha after they'd saved the bridge, but the risks…

Then she shook her head, swallowed, took a deep breath and then got up, forcing everyone to look at her.

"I hereby declare," She began, voice barely a whisper due to the nerves. "…that the hidden village of the Mist will help the hidden village of the Leaf to retrieve the kunoichi and the Akatsuki member, at all costs."

Tsunade stared at Mizura for a couple of seconds and then smiled weakly at her. Encouraged by Mizura's action, Dotongu got up as well, placing a hand on his chest and taking a deep breath. "The North will also help the search, un. We'll support Konoha with everything we've got."

Then Gaara got up as well, also promising his help to Konoha in his own dark voice. With every person that got up, Tsunade felt better and better, and the smile on her face got wider and wider. Then just when she was about to thank them all for their support, still with a delirious smile on her face, a loud yell made everyone look up.

It became dead silent, and Tsunade saw that several ANBU leaders reached for their kunai while the Kage protectors all did the same. She looked to the large oaken door that shut the conference room from the outer world. Her own hand took a kunai out of her pocket but she made sure that no one saw that. She didn't know who or what was coming in, but she wouldn't allow anyone to hurt themselves.

Then the doors flew open. The ANBU took fighting stances, the protectors all jumped forwards, kunai held high, while some others made handsigns and molded their chakra, ready to perform Ninjutsu or genjutsu on whoever dared to interrupt their meeting.

It was Sasuke. He looked unaffected by the hostile movements everyone had made towards him and walked straight up to Tsunade, frowning and his onyx eyes shooting fire. "Tsunade-sama," he said and he bowed for her, coming up rather fast to look at Naruto briefly.

"Gomen," he said after seeing the high status people, bowing to pay his respect to the present Kages and chiefs before looking up. "I'm sorry for knocking out the guard but he wouldn't let me in. I need to know what happened to her."

Several of the chiefs shared puzzled looks. Who was this lad to just bump into a meeting of kages, and what was the Hokage thinking, not kicking him out or yelling at him? Then someone recognized him and soon the entire hall buzzing from their voices, all whispering the same. "That's **the **Uchiha. You know, Sasuke Uchiha, the last one of his clan. They say he's the only one to be left alive after a large massacre – can you believe it?"

Tsunade looked at Sasuke, ignoring the increase of noise, while her heart beat faster than she could handle. She couldn't explain it to him. She knew that Sasuke and Sakura were having a relationship, and she couldn't bare tell him that because of a plan _she_ made up, his girlfriend got taken away by an Akatsuki member. It was too harsh.

Dotongu noticed and patted Naruto on the shoulder. "Hey, you," he whispered, and Naruto looked at him, a blank expression on his face. "I guess you should tell him what happened, un."

Naruto tilted his head, looked at Tsunade who stared at Sasuke with a pale face, and then his slow brain finally registered what all the others already had. Including Sasuke, who felt very uneasy under the gaze of all the kages and chiefs, knowing that obviously something was terribly wrong.

He nodded at Tsunade and then walked towards Sasuke. In a few words he explained that they needed to go outside for a bit and Sasuke followed him. Naruto closed the doors and the conference room was shut out from their conversation, which was soon to start.

"I see you're back," he began, smiling at Sasuke, before sitting down on a bench, inviting Sasuke to do the same. The Uchiha smiled weakly and then sat down next to Naruto, sighing. "It sure took you long to complete that mission of yours, Sasuke," Naruto said, trying to guide the conversation towards Sakura, afraid that if he told it too fast, Sasuke would snap.

"Indeed," Sasuke answered, staring at the ceiling. He already knew that Naruto was trying to fake a nice and cozy conversation but decided to play the game with him. "I got caught up in some nasty fights with a lot of enemies and they slowed me down big time." He looked at Naruto. He could play along. Wait for his friend to tell him what he already suspected. Something bad had obviously happened to Sakura, or she would've been in her apartment or on the training fields. And next to that, everyone was acting weird towards him. So he decided to get to the point. "But I need to know, Naruto. What happened to her?"

Naruto swallowed. "…to whom…?"

Sasuke frowned. "Please, Naruto. Don't act like you don't know what's going on. I know something happened to her and I'm determined to find out what. Tell me, why wasn't she in her apartment? And why did her apartment look like there haven't been a living soul inside for weeks?"

Naruto sighed and looked at his feet. He had never thought he would get himself in a situation like this one, and it was terribly hard for him to tell Sasuke the truth. "Do you really want to know, Sasuke?" he asked, his voice merely a whisper, silently hoping that his friend would say no.

The dark haired boy nodded. "positive."

"Then… I'm afraid… there's no other way, than just to tell you…"

And then Naruto looked at Sasuke. "You heard about the chains?" he muttered, and Sasuke nodded. His stomach made flip and he needed to take some deep breaths before continuing. "…okay… but I'm sure you don't know about Tsunade-baachan's plan…"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Plan? What plan?" He didn't like the tone Naruto had used to tell him about it and he was starting to feel very uneasy. His best friend was definitely hiding something from him, something about Sakura.

"According to that plan, Sakura had to… to…" suddenly Naruto closed his eyes and bit his lip. "…she had to seduce him, to find out about the Akatsuki, to find out about their plans, because no other interrogation plan succeeded! It was Tsunade's last hope, and Sakura agreed…"

Sasuke fell back, against the wall, eyes wide in pure terror and his hands trembling. "She had to… seduce… an Akatsuki?" he asked, before looking at Naruto. Suddenly mental images of Sakura, seducing his older brother, flashed in front of his eyes and his face got even paler, with a slightly greenish shade. "Please tell me, it wasn't Itachi, right?" he asked, voice hoarse.

"It wasn't Itachi," Naruto said, and Sasuke let out a sigh. "It was worse."

Immediately Sasuke sat up, eyes wide open, eyebrows nearly touching each other of utmost concentration. "Who was it then?" he asked, flipping through the pictures of the Akatsuki members he knew of. "Do you know his name?"

Naruto nodded. "…I don't know if you've heard of him, but he's the same psycho freak that murdered Gaara to take the Shukaku out of him. His name is Deidara."

Sasuke groaned and fell back again, eyes closed of pure horror. He definitely knew that guy. He knew him way too well. "Yes, I've heard of him," he whispered. " 'art is a bang', isn't it?"

Naruto looked up at him, a surprised look on his face. "Nani? How do you…?"

"I fought him," Sasuke said, mind racing back towards the battle, which had taken quite a lot out of him. "And I killed him, or so I thought. No, better, he detonated himself, and nearly killed me by doing so. I really thought he was gone after that, but I guess not." He shook his head and stared at his feet. "Man… he's… I thought he was…"

Naruto smiled weakly in an attempt to lighten Sasuke's mood but his best friend seemed to be deeply depressed. "How do you mean, Sasuke?" he asked. "He's what?"

Sasuke looked up at him, a confused look in his eyes. "I thought he was gay," he whispered, frowning at the blonde in front of him. "I mean, that girlish top he wore, and that long hair, not even to speak of his 'ambitions' with art…"

Naruto burst out in laughter, and slapped Sasuke on his knee. "Gay?" he asked him, tears in his eyes, face nearly split apart by a wide smile, until he suddenly realized that Sasuke had been dead serious and he quickly muffled his face back into control, forcing his muscles to fake a serious look. "…well, it didn't seem so," he said, trying his best not to laugh again. "I mean, Sakura cut his hair, he started wearing shirts and different clothes and that was kind of it…"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "But still," he muttered. "How could Tsunade… how could she ask Sakura to do something like that? It's just… plain gross."

Naruto shrugged, happy that his friend was finally cheering up a little. "It _is, _but, well, I don't always understand what Tsunade-baachan does… but I think that she asked Sakura to do this, because she wouldn't be able to get his information."

Sasuke nodded. Then he suddenly remembered something. He turned towards Naruto, a puzzled look in his eyes. "Demo, Naruto, that still doesn't explain why she isn't here. Where is she? I need to talk with her. I don't care if he's around – I'll hold myself back and wait until we find the key to the chains."

"well, that'll be kind of a problem, actually," Naruto said, staring at his feet again. Sasuke froze.

"A problem?" he asked, throat nearly closed with nerves. "I don't see it. I already said I wouldn't kiss her or something, so I don't see…"

"She left."

The words where out before Naruto could really think them over, and Sasuke froze completely, staring at his friend, irises trembling with shock, mouth slightly open.

"She left together with him," Naruto continued, suddenly feeling the urge to say this quickly, before Sasuke defrost and probably attacked him for saying that. "yesterday evening. Frankly you couldn't have picked a better time to come back. I saw them leave but could do nothing to make them stay…" he wavered and swallowed to regain his voice. "He… he knocked me out, and when I woke up they were gone…"

Three seconds passed by. Then suddenly Sasuke flew up from the bench and stormed outside, leaving a shocked Naruto behind. "OY!" he yelled, suddenly realizing that Sasuke was gone. "Sasuke! Wait!"

- In the Konoha hospital -

Kisame had to slap his face to remain awake. He had stayed next to Tobi the entire night, forcing himself not to fall asleep, not knowing what the boy might do if he woke up in a strange room. Morning had already come and the sun was pleasantly warming his face, but he needed to stay awake.

_I can't fall asleep, _he thought, looking at Tobi's face. _I cannot fall asleep. I must not fall asleep. And why not? Because if I do, he might cause an uproar, or he might run away and ruin the entire plan…_

That was the only positive side of staying awake over night. He had had plenty of time to think of a good plan, a plan that would definitely succeed and that wouldn't be too hard to complete. And now, in the still early morning, he had finally gotten to one and he felt quite good about the accomplishment.

Then Tobi groaned and Kisame nearly jumped of his chair when he ran towards the bed, grasping the iron frame, leaning over Tobi to make sure that he was indeed finally waking up. The boy turned once, twice, and then suddenly opened his one eye, staring directly into Kisame's face.

The eye blinked several times until suddenly the iris shrank miraculously small and Tobi launched himself out of bed, hitting Kisame's head while jumping up, and smacking his partner down to the floor.

"Agh! Tobi – I mean Ayoku! What the hell are you doin?!"

Tobi had taken a fighting stance on top of the bed, body trembling, staring at Kisame, until he suddenly seemed to realize that the man on the floor was his partner, not his enemy.

"Oh, gomenasai, Kisame-san," he muttered, getting down from the bed and clumsily helping Kisame get up. "To- Ayoku thought that Kisame was someone else…"

"Shut up you baka," Kisame grunted, shaking Tobi's helping hand off. "Don't call me like that! Remember, I'm Tawu!" he got up and dusted off his clothing, staring at Tobi afterwards. "What reminds me," he said, "Why did you decide to pinch your stomach together? I only asked you to _act _like something was wrong, not to actually _harm _yourself."

Tobi looked to the floor. "Ayoku is very, very sorry, Tawu-san, but, well, Tawu-san asked Ayoku to make it look real, and so… well…"

Tawu sighed. "Well, lost time is lost time, ain't it? And I did find out something…" he grinned. "We do not have to search for your sempai anymore. Now how's that."

Tobi's one eye grew big and he suddenly leapt forwards, grabbing Kisame's collar, looking up at him with wide, hoping eyes. "Really?" he asked, unaware of the uneasiness he was causing to Kisame. The boy's face was way too close for his taste, way too near, his eyes way too begging.

"Yea, really," he said and he pushed him off. "But you should remain calm – or else the plan I made up is doomed from the start." Tobi's eyes sparkled but he did sit down on the edge of the bed, hands next to his knees and slightly bowed forwards. Kisame sat down on the chair he had been sitting on for the entire night and cleared his throat.

"Ahem. I found Deidara by accident, really. I was waiting for the medic to heal you to show up when he suddenly walked by." Tobi's eye grew wide again.

"walked by?"

"Yea. Strange, huh? Anyways, I found out pretty soon that the medic that healed you had actually chained herself to your sempai. With really weird chains. It's hard to explain, but you just need to know that you can't harm the girl, or you'll harm Deidara. Understood?"

Tobi tilted his head, eyes pointed above and seemed to think that over. Then he suddenly looked back at Kisame and nodded. "Understood!"

Kisame raised an eyebrow. Since when was Tobi so quick in the understanding? For a moment he wondered if the medic had maybe healed his dumbness as well, but he quickly threw that idea away. _impossible, _he thought. _Too much damage done already, hehe…_

"…okay, well then to the plan I made up. I'll ask someone in this hospital for the address of the medic that healed you. You know, saying that I want to thank her and stuff for saving you etcetera. The people in this town do not ask so much questions and it's a good reason. Then we go to the address given, open the door, ask if we can come inside, and once we're in…" he made a cutting movement with his hand through the air. "…we cut those chains and take Deidara with us. If necessary we kill the medic after that. And if you'd like to you can change back to your original form, if that makes things easier for you."

Tobi nodded again and then got up from the hospital bed. "But Ayoku hasn't got any clothes anymore," he muttered, looking left and right before looking to his own body, which was merely dressed in some hospital clothes. Kisame sighed.

"Look behind, baka."

A couple of minutes later, in which Kisame quickly left the room because Tobi actually undressed in front of his eyes – the boy obviously didn't know that, normally, people don't really like to see that and for a moment he wondered what exactly Deidara had thought him – and waited outside of him. When he came out he smirked.

"You ready for the plan, Ayoku?"

Tobi nodded. "Yessir!!"

"Then let's go." They turned and then walked towards the end of the corridor, which lead to the entrance hall. They hoped on seeing one of the medics to whom they had spoken earlier, but to their surprise the corridors were deserted and the only persons they met were the patients. "Where is everybody?" Kisame muttered to himself, looking around while frowning.

Then he saw the dark haired woman who had been a great help to them yesterday, when he had to fill in the forms and get himself a room. He leapt towards her and patted her shoulder lightly. "Ma'am," he said when she turned around and he bowed. "I would like to thank you for your help yesterday, ma'am."

Shizune – he remembered her name – smiled faintly. "That's alright. Don't worry about it. I see Ayoku-san is feeling better?" she didn't even wait for Tobi to answer and then quickly bowed in front of Kisame. "If you'd excuse me, I've got a hell lot to do and very little time."

"Eh, ma'am, I'm sorry, but do you perhaps know the address of the medic that healed my little brother? By chance?"

Shizune stopped walking and then turned around, staring at him. "..she's not in town," she said after a while, frowning. "She left yesterday evening."

Kisame's eyes grew wide. "She… left? But, eh, but I wanted to thank her…"

"Well, that won't be possible." Shizune sighed. "Your actually a stranger to the town, but since she helped you I do not see the harm in telling you. The man who she was chained to, a hostage of Konoha, escaped yesterday night by bird, taking her with him. So that's why you cant see her." She tilted her head. "Tawu-san? Are you allright? You look… pale."

Kisame nodded, not completely aware of what he had just heard. "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks… I guess… that we'll be going… then… bye, and, well, thanks… for everything…"

He grabbed Tobi's collar and dragged the boy outside, ignoring the strange look Shizune gave him and the yelling Tobi, who had no idea of what was going on.

"We're going back," he grunted, eyes shooting fire. "We've got no business here anymore."

* * *

**Not so very much things I wanted to write in this chapter… To be honest, I wanted to write about Sakura and Deidara immediately, but this needed to be said too! I mean, Tobi and Kisame were still in town too, weren't they? Anyways, I hope to see you all at the next chapter and until then, see you!**


	17. No Chapter, but a Notice

**First of all, this is NOT a new chapter. I wish it was, though, but it simply isnt. The reason why I'm writing this is because I need to tell you all something important. **

**I. Am. Stuck. **

**Stuck as in real stuck - I just can't seem to be able to write the next chapter! It happened before that I had to rewrite a part, sometimes an entire chapter, but never did I have to rewrite an ENTIRE CHAPTER for at least FIVE times, and now I'm still not satisfied with it. So I'm terribly sorry that it takes me so long to update, and I hope you're not mad at me. I'll keep on writing, that's for sure, and I hope I'll be able to post it sooner or later, but as I said: it might take me longer than usual.**

**I hope you can all understand, and again: sorry!!**

**- Shabaku **


	18. Finally! To the rescue, dattebayo!

I finally finished it, the seventeenth chapter

**I finally finished it, the seventeenth chapter. I want to thank everyone of you who commented; you helped me getting over the blockade and write on, so thank you very, very much! And also the ones who reviewed on the other chapters before this one, I want to thank you all. You keep me writing :)**

**I hope you all like this chapter. It was indeed hard to write although I hope it's not too noticeable. **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter seventeen: Finally! To the rescue, dattebayo!**

Naruto wandered through his small apartment, eyebrows nearly touching each other in the center of his head, his mostly cheery face now a deep shade of depression.

It had been three days since they'd had the meeting with the Kages. Three entire days and nights had passed since Deidara and Sakura had left town, and with every day, Naruto felt getting more and more depressed and despaired. He suddenly stopped walking and smashed his fist against the wall in an attempt to lighten the burden that had locked itself on his shoulders.

"Dammnit!" he stared at his feet, panting with anger. Tsunade didn't let him do anything at all. He wasn't even allowed to do a D rank mission, not alone and not in a team, and when he asked her why, she replied: "I can't take the risk that you chase them on your own." He hissed. As if he would do that! He had changed from before, when Sasuke had left town. This time, he knew that if he chased her on his own, he would have to resort on the Kyuubi chakra to win the fight.

He shivered as the image of the Kyuubi flashed in front of his eyes. The ninetails power was a double edged blade. He had hurt Sakura before, and he was determined to never use it again like he had done back then. But now he felt caged like a bird, and no matter how hard he tried, the clamping feeling on his chest did never leave him.

Roaring with anger, he kicked over the chair behind his dinner table and then threw the vase with little pink flowers – which Hinata had given him in an attempt to lighten his mood – off the table, smashing it to pieces, glass shattering all over the place. He cut his hand and cursed again before sucking on the wound to make the bleeding stop while he stumbled back and fell on the small couch.

He had let her go like he had let Sasuke go. He had fought and had lost.

He clenched his wounded hand to a fist and the blood dripped down his wrist and arm. Slightly fascinated by the clear crimson color he stared at the drip of blood which was making its way down his arm while he held up his hand. In that blood was also the blood of the Kyuubi, the blood of his father, the blood of his mother… his bottom lip trembled.

There were so many people who had left him alone, so many people who had entrusted him with their last wishes, so many people who had made him promise them to help them succeed their goals.

The blood reached his elbow and then dripped on the couch, making a perfect rust brown circle on the fabric. Sakura had pleaded him to retrieve Sasuke, and he had succeeded. Sasuke had died in front of his eyes but he had come back to live. Gaara had been revived after retrieving him from the Akatsuki. He himself had looked death in the eye and had laughed at it.

He got up from the couch. He needed to do something. Not something destructive, no, he had done enough harm to the apartment already. He needed to get his mind off this topic, his head started to hurt from the constant thinking. He locked the door behind him and then descended the stairway, onto the streets of Konoha, no particular goal but to just think of something else for a change.

He saw colorful market stands, smiling and happy people talking to each other or enjoying a meal together while others were carrying paper bags with sweets or groceries. He smiled weakly as he saw a little boy plead his mother to buy him a lollypop, and how the mother finally admitted to his big watery eyes and bought him one.

How long has it been since I've done such things with friends? Naruto thought while he slowly walked on, eyes lingering over the crowd. Everyone is always busy with other, more important things, like missions or family occasions.

He looked up after a while and found himself standing on the main street, staring directly at the mountain chain with the five Hokage heads. The eyes of stone stared at him, all with their own strict glare, their own memories and past hidden somewhere inside of there. Automatically his eyes traveled to the fourth Hokage and felt his eyes burn as he stared at the features he had never known himself.

Father…

"Naruto!"

He looked behind him and saw Ino and Kiba walking towards him. Ino was smiling and waving at him, and Kiba had his hands buried in his pockets, his hood pulled over his head partly like he used to do in the old days. Naruto smiled weakly.

"Hya guys."

Kiba grinned and Ino's smile got wider as they stopped in front of him. "Long time no see, Naruto," Kiba said, getting Naruto's attention. The blonde smiled apologetically.

"Ah, well, I've been… er, eh…" he hesitated. He hadn't been busy at all, he had just been sitting in his apartment, feeling sorry for himself, and now he felt extremely ashamed.

"No sweat, it's okay already," Kiba said before he patted Naruto on the back. "What do ya say about having a drink at Rokoru's place? I've heard it's a cozy place." He waited a few seconds. "Well?"

Naruto finally grinned in the old way as he slowly started to realize that Kiba and Ino were actually trying to cheer him up a little, and he nodded. "Sounds great, dattebayo!"

He had never been there before, but Kiba had been right. Rokoru's was a cozy and warm little bar which Naruto had never seen, and he immediately felt comfortable. Kiba sat down behind the counter and Naruto and Ino took a seat next to him, all leaning forwards to be able to read what the menu said. "I've never been here, Kiba-kun," Ino said, tilting her head sideways. "Can you give us a hint of what tastes good?"

Kiba laughed. "Sure I can! Naruto, that drink there, that might be something for you. And Ino… hmmm… let me see… I guess that one. Yeah, yea, definitely."

Naruto and Ino leaned forwards some more, trying to make out what the small and curly handwriting on the chalkboard said. Naruto was the first one to decipher what it said and he gasped as he read what it said.

"The fourth's drink?" he asked, his voice merely a whisper. "By whom they mean…"

"The fourth Hokage, yes," A deep voice said from behind the counter and Naruto looked up, slightly startled. A man with a large black moustache appeared out of the shadows behind the bar, a glass in his hands while drying it with a nearly scary clean towel. "He used to come here from time to time. He always took the same drink, and after a while I suggested to make it a recipe."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You knew the Fourth?" he asked, and Kiba and Ino shared some understanding looks. This had been exactly what Kiba had aimed for.

The man nodded. "Sure I knew him! He came here at least once, twice a week, just to talk with me about the problems he endured as the Hokage of town." The man sighed. "Honestly boy, I've got no idea why someone would want to become the Hokage. All the work!"

Naruto grinned. "Yea but, I mean, being a Hokage is cool! The Fourth was also cool, wasn't he? Or how was he?" The man had to think about that for a few seconds and Naruto nearly jumped from the bar chair.

"Oy, Naruto," Ino said, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Calm down a bit, people are staring at us."

Naruto blushed and sat back down again. The man smiled friendly at him. "Minato was a very understanding, calm and always gentle person. If you had a problem whatsoever, you could count on him to help you fix it, unquestionably." He tilted his head. "You look a lot like him, boy. Very much."

Naruto grinned again. "I hear that a lot, old man! But, tell me more, did he bring his wife with him sometimes? And if he did, how was she? Was she nice as well?"

The man narrowed his eyes. "Kushina Uzumaki, right? Yeah, I remember him taking her with him once. If I remember correctly she was pregnant back then, and he took her though the entire town, showing her off in every place he had ever been." The man smiled, lost in memories. "He was so happy with the child. And they were a good couple, I can tell you that! Where Minato could be a bit too silent, Kushina made up for that completely. She had a bit of… an explosive character, and their ninjutsu skills filled each other perfectly." He nodded, then glared at the glass in his hands. "It's a huge shame, my boy, that the Kyuubi came here. I still curse the day on which that demon showed up and forced Minato to sacrifice himself."

Naruto sat back on his bar chair, staring at the man. "Old man," he said after a while, his voice completely different from before. "Do you know me?"

Kiba and Ino shared a shocked look.

The man shook his head. "No, my boy. I've never seen you before."

Naruto stared at his hands on the counter. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki," he said after a while, and the barman let the glass drop down to the floor. "Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tailed demon Fox, also called the Kyuubi." He looked up, his eyes filled with tears. "Do you hate me now, old man?"

The man stared at him, immobilized, and didn't answer. Kiba decided that this had been enough for today and then dragged Naruto off the bar chair. The blonde didn't even struggle to get out of his grip and Ino followed them closely, placing a bit of money on the counter to pay for the broken glass.

The outside air was a great relief for Naruto and he took a deep breath.

"Oy, Naruto," Kiba asked, standing in front of him. "Are you alright? You looked pretty bad back there…"

Naruto smiled weakly. "Gomen, Kiba, Ino, but I think I'll go and pay a visit to the Hokage… thanks for taking me for a drink, but I need to talk with her." He bowed slightly as a goodbye and then took off, headed towards the Hokage tower, leaving Kiba and Ino on the streets.

"That was not what you wanted to achieve, was it, Kiba-kun?" Ino asked as they watched Naruto walking away from them. Kiba shook his head.

"I thought he would cheer up if he heard about his father… shit, I think I've made things even worse."

Ino placed an arm around his shoulders and then guided him towards a bench nearby. They sat down and Ino quickly pulled back her arm, looking away from him to hide her blushing cheeks. "I think you did well, Kiba-kun," She said, still not looking at him. "Since Forehead is gone things have changed around here. Somehow town looks different from before, like there's a constant gray filter on your eyes." She looked at him and he looked at her. Their eyes met and kept locked. "Just now, when Naruto cheered up," she whispered, staring at Kiba. "…it felt as if the colors came back."

Tsunade was having a hard time. The paperwork had increased significantly since Sakura had left, and all the teams she had sent out to look for them had returned without a singly clue to where the two might have gone to. She sighed as she put another signature beneath a letter for who knows what and then buried her head in her hands.

The fact that they couldn't find them ate her from out the inside. Naruto was depressed, Sasuke was simply irritated with the entire world, Ino and the other girls seemed a bit stressed and Kakashi even managed to look gloomy. She let out a sob. At the moment, she felt like a mental wreck, a wreck that could collapse any moment, too.

A knock on the door. She quickly wiped away the remains of the tear that had run out of her eye and then sat up straight, cleaning her desk a bit. "…come in."

The door swung open, revealing Naruto. Tsunade gasped as she saw how bad he looked. His eyes glared dully, their usual sparkling blue color now more grayish, and his skin also had a grayish tint about it. "Naruto," She said, getting up from her chair in a reflex. He smiled weakly and then shut the door behind him.

"Tsuande-baachan."

They stared at each other for a while. Tsunade stared at the ghostly appearance in front of her, still wondering if it really was Naruto she was looking at, and Naruto stared back at her, wondering why she looked so stressed.

"What brings you here, Naruto," Tsunade said eventually, breaking the awkward silence.

His glare intensified. "I want to search for Sakura-chan."

Tsunade sighed. She had already feared that he would say that. Slowly she sat down on her chair again, and then buried her head in her hands. "You know I cant let you do that, Naruto," She said, nearly feeling Naruto's desperateness. "The risks…"

"I don't give a damn about those fucking risks," Naruto yelled suddenly, stepping forwards and smashing his fist on her table. Some sheets of paper dazzled from the desk while Tsunade looked up in the blue eyes that stared into hers. "I want to get Sakura-chan, and there's nothing you can do to stop me or hold me back. You can send people to fetch me and I'll kill them."

His mouth became a thin stripe. "Choose, Tsunade. Help me or abandon me."

He had thought about this for a very long time and now finally the time had seemed to have come. He knew that he had to push his luck as far as he could, all he could do now was hope that Tsunade would give in.

Tsunade stared at him. "…Naruto…" her lip twitched as she stared at his determined facial expression. Then she burst out in tears and suddenly embraced him, pressing him close to her, ignoring his surprised yell. "You little dumbass," she sobbed, still not letting him go. "How can I abandon you for god's sake, how stupid do you think I am…!"

Naruto made a suffocating sound and she let go of him, wiping off her eyes. "I'll send a team with you," she muttered. "I'll not let you go on your own."

A wide grin broke through on Naruto's face. The plan had succeeded! "I can go and get Sakura-chan?!"

Tsunade nodded. "Indeed you can. But, listen Naruto, don't run off like a madman. You need to wait for at least one more day. Kakashi is coming back from his mission tomorrow and he'll come with you." Naruto nodded.

"Arigatou, Tsunade-baachan!" And he bowed. When he looked up, his eyes seemed to sparkle like they used to and he had a wide grin plastered on his face. "I assure you that I'll get Sakura-chan back, Tsunade-baachan. I really will." And then he turned to leave the office. Just before he could, Tsunade called him out.

"One more thing, Naruto."

He turned around. "Hmm? Nani?"

Tsunade smiled weakly, feeling her eyes burn again. "…Come back alive from that mission, okay?"

Naruto's expression softened and he put up his thumb. "I'll come back, dattebayo," he promised. "You can rely on that, Tsunade-baachan." Then he turned and left the office, closing the door softly behind him. Tsunade sank down on her chair and then gazed at the four portraits hanging above the window. Four wise faces stared down at her, and her eyes remained with the fourth's.

"Your son became really strong, Yondaime," she whispered, staring at the drawing. "You can be proud of him."

- Three days back -

The air was cold and made Sakura's eyes water as the bird flew higher and higher, faster and faster. Deidara had wrapped his arm so closely around her that she nearly couldn't breathe and her attempts on breaking free had been very unsuccessful. She had cried for nearly three hours straight but now her tears were gone, and they had left a gaping hole inside of her. She felt like some sort of wrapping without a soul.

Deidara hadn't spoken a single word since they had left Konoha, had not even made so much as a sound. All he had done had been holding onto her with his nearly suffocating grip, probably steering the bird with his mind or something.

But oh she was mad at him. She had promised herself to punch him as soon as they got to the floor, if they ever would. She knew she would hurt herself too if she did that but she couldn't care about that. He had used her!

"We're here."

His voice startled her. She automatically tried to look up at his face but his arm prevented her from doing so. But as the bird's beak started to point down and they started to descend really fast, she realized that they were indeed going to land somewhere near. How far could they be from Konoha by now? Four miles? Forty?

Then the bird landed. Even though the thing looked rather heavy, nearly nothing could be heard as the paws hit the ground and he slowly sank down, allowing Deidara to get off. Sakura immediately tried to break free, but he lifted her from the bird with one arm, pressing her against his chest, her feet merely a foot above the ground, preventing her from walking as she hovered above the ground.

"Let go of me!"

Her voice sounded rusty. He chuckled. "I didn't think so, hmm." She roared out in frustration and tried to bite his arm, but it was out of her reach. In a last attempt to break free she hit his lower leg with her heel. The sharp pain shot right through her own leg as well and she heard his breath hitch, but he walked on towards a group of trees.

"Where are you taking me, you egocentric prick! Tell me or I'll hurt you!!"

He laughed out loud. "And how exactly where you gonna do that? Think about that before you say something, hmm."

They reached the trees and Sakura felt Deidara used his chakra. Then he made a handseal with his free hand and then suddenly the air around the trees started to bubble like water, before it dissolved and revealed a small wooden cottage, hidden in the forest by quite a good genjutsu.

"Wha…"

"Nice little home, eh? Build myself, hmm." He walked towards the front door, opened it with his free hand and then locked it behind him, putting the key away in his pocket.

"How did you just…"

"Don't ask so much," he sneered, and they kept on walking. Since it was dark Sakura couldn't make out how the cottage looked like. All she saw were dark silhouettes of what could be everything, until Deidara opened a door to what Sakura immediately knew was the bedroom. Suddenly she felt very nervous.

Let me go, she thought as he carried her further, towards the center of the room. He chuckled. "I already answered that question, hmm. Don't even think about it."

He walked past a large bed that dominated the center of the room – Sakura's eyes had slowly gotten used to the dark – and then opened a dresser, searching through the dark things inside. A drop of sweat ran down Sakura's neck as he got up with a piece of rope in his hands, but she also immediately knew that if he was going to tie her up with those, she'd be free within no time. He underestimated her.

"Now don't move," She heard him mutter and before she knew it he had laid her down on the bed, moving on top of her immediately after that. She gasped at the physical contact while his hands roamed over her back with the rope, tying her up as she had suspected.

She decided to play along. She needed to act like he had really tied her up, and then when he would least expect it, she'd break free. After that she'd probably tie him up and take them back to Konoha, wherever that may be at the moment.

He knotted the rope behind her back after tying up her hands quite professionally, and when he was doing so, his lips nearly touched hers because he had to bow forwards so far. Sakura's body reacted in a way she didn't wanted as her heart started to beat faster and her hands became sweaty as she knew that, if she just moved a bit, they'd be kissing again…

He stopped moving and Sakura's eyes widened with shock. How could she have been so stupid?! He could read her thoughts! She knew that didn't she? Then why didn't she…

"Kissing, hmm?" he repeated, tilting his head slightly. All Sakura could see of him were his both eyes which seemed to glow in the darkness, and they narrowed slightly as she swallowed. He smirked. "Like this…?"

And then he placed his lips on her, opened his mouth, forced her to do the same, and then kissed her fully, making an unwilled moan escape her lips as he pulled back. Seemingly satisfied with her completely confused look, he grinned. "Good night, Sakura," he said teasingly and then he rolled over her, lying left of her on the large bed, relaxing completely.

Sakura's heard beat so fast that she was afraid he might hear her. What was this about? She should be boiling mad with him, she should be hitting him, or hurting him in any possible way. But, instead of that, she was…

Actually liking kissing him again?!

She shook her head. No, no, Sakura, stop thinking like that, you need to stop thinking like that… instead, you need to come up with something…

Still tasting him, she waited until she felt that he was asleep, and then she concentrated her chakra towards her muscles, trying to break free. She closed her eyes and then broke the rope – or so she aimed. But to her surprise the rope didn't budge for even an inch, and she let her chakra run through the rope, her shock raising with the second.

These were no ordinary ropes. Cutting these would be very difficult, and because of the surgery she had had to perform that afternoon she didn't have enough chakra left. She looked left, at Deidara's sleeping face, and sighed. She'd have to wait until morning at least for her chakra to come back.

She then stared at the ceiling, feeling her eyelids getting heavy. She'd deal with Deidara later on. Like tomorrow, when she had broken free…

She fell asleep with a smile on her lips.

Deidara noticed her struggle after a while and he smirked inwardly. His trick had worked, she thought he was sleeping. She moved lightly and carefully, probably trying not to make him wake up, and he tried to look at her through his eyelashes, still faking to be asleep. She probably thought that the ropes he had used to tie her up with were ordinary ones, but she couldn't have been more mistaken. No, the ropes he had used were special ones, and they had been very pricy too. He snorted inwardly. That scumbag Kazuku had actually made him pay for those, even though he could make the ropes without a sweat. _The bastard is just obsessed with money, hmm. Ups, I mean, WAS, hehe… _

Then her struggles stopped and he held in his breath. Did she realized it was futile or was she actually breaking free? After all, she wasn't the apprentice of the Hokage for nothing, she might be able to break them. But as he heard her sigh and think: **tomorrow's another day, **he smiled and relaxed slightly. She had used too much chakra in the healing jutsu that afternoon and was probably exhausted. Better for him.

Soon her breaths deepened, signing that she had fallen asleep, and Deidara couldn't help but smile as he watched her calm, sleeping face, mouth partly open, eyes moving behind their lids but slowly. Then the smile swept away from his face and he abruptly looked back to the ceiling, scowling.

Until now, everything had went smoothly, but he knew that things would surely become nasty and troublesome tomorrow. She'd probably try to hurt him and he couldn't disagree with that, after all, he had shamelessly hurt her feelings and stuff, betrayed her, kidnapped her, tied her up… the list was endless. If they hadn't been chained, he knew for sure that she would kill him. But, of course, if they hadn't been chained, than this wouldn't have happened at all.

But now what? He couldn't go to the Akatsuki. Pain had said that having a regular "hideout" was too common and above all to easy to find, so they travelled through the country, switching hideouts at least twice a month. Only active or alive members of the Akatsuki were updated with the info on where the new hideout was located. And he was pretty sure that he was either put to "inactive" or registered "dead". He shivered. And then there was Sakura as well. He couldn't just drag her around all the time, she wouldn't allow him to do that. No chance.

He looked at her face again, biting his bottom lip. The fact that she would come up with a fight was not the only problem.

At this moment, she must think that he had planned things out from the very start. That the moments and things they had shared together had all been faked, acted. And of course, the line he had said to her as she had concluded that: "So you've found out" didn't exactly show that she was mistaken. As he stared at her closed eyes he wished with all his heart that hadn't said that at all, but it couldn't be helped. He had simply acted on a whim as soon as the opportunity had occurred to escape and hadn't given it a second thought, like he used to do a lot with his plans. He felt a clamping feeling around his chest as he realized that Sakura probably hated him more than he could ever imagine.

_But how can I ever make her understand that what I did had nothing to do with how I feel about her?_ he thought, slightly panicking. _If I even try to explain to her she'll beat me until I cannot move anymore… I don't think she'll keep the fact in mind that she'll get hurt as well, hmm. _He moved closer to her, studying her features. He _knew_ he could never betray her in the way she thought he had, the problem was that he _should_.

He should be able to betray her like that. He _should _be able to hurt her, manipulate her, twist her so that she would do anything to his liking. But as he stared at her face, with unknown feelings rising up inside of him, he knew that he would never do such a thing.

He simply couldn't.

He swallowed and then pulled Sakura against him, knowing that if she woke up she'd give him a fair beating, but taking the risk anyway. She didn't wake up but snuggled even closer to him, letting out a deep sigh as he wrapped his arm around her. He felt a throbbing feeling inside of his chest and he closed his eyes, trying to enjoy her scent and the warmth of her body for as long as he still could.

He fell asleep.

**Ups, forgot: I don't own Naruto****. And sorry that there's a slight filler at the start – but that helped me out on writing so I hope you don't mind. On to the next chapter!**


	19. The bathroom

**This story really gets longer and longer! Every time I write a chapter, I think: well, I guess it'll be done with another two chapters. As most of you've probably read I already thought I'd finished this story around chapter eight. **

**And here we are, chapter EIGHTEEN! **

**I hope you like it. At least I liked writing this a lot, since I could finally write as I did with the first part of this story: for the first time in what seems ages this chapter nearly wrote itself. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter eighteen****: The bathroom**

It must've been the tenth branch that hit Kisame full in the face as it was nearly noon, the day of their leave from Konoha. He grumbled and swore at the branch while he ripped it off the tree and dropped it to the floor before following Tobi, who had taken the lead for a change. He wasn't completely confident with the boy's tracking skills, but he was too tired of the last night in which he had been watching over Tobi to even argue about it.

"Oy, Tobi," he yelled out front, evading another sweeping back branch that missed his face – which had several red rims on it from previous "attacks". "Where are we going exactly? I'm kinda tired and also hungry…" And if we don't stop soon I'll eat you for lunch, dammit, he added soundlessly.

Tobi landed suddenly and Kisame jumped over him, landing as well, feeling slightly relieved as he saw that Tobi sat down on the forest floor, making a comfortable spot for himself. "Tobi was also a bit tired, Kisame-danna," he said and he looked up at Kisame, who sweatdropped. He didn't like the danna ending one bit, it made him remember the time in which Deidara kept going on about how good Sasori's art was even though he'd never admit it towards the redhead, and then he would go on for ages about "Sasori-danna this" and "Sasori-danna" that….

Kisame sat down with a sigh and then leaned back. Tobi tilted his head. "Is Kisame-danna so tired?" he asked with a nearly childish tone in his voice. Kisame scowled at him but couldn't find the energy to start a quarrel with him.

"Yeah, I am. I didn't get much sleep last night, ya know." And he yawned before leaning against a tree, closing his eyes. But Tobi wasn't planning on granting him much rest.

"We can't stay here for long, Kisame-danna! Deidara is close, Tobi feels that, we must act soon!" and even though Kisamehad an air around him that said 'don't come too close or I'll shave your skin off', Tobi tugged his Akatsuki cloak, ranting on about how close Deidara was and about how less time they had left to get him back…

Kisame's lip twitched and before Tobi could even say another word he had grasped the boy's collar and held his face intimidating close to Tobi's mask, staring in his eyehole with red rimmed eyes from the lack of sleep. "If I wanna nap," he grunted, making sure that Tobi felt pretty unstable. "…I NAP, understood?"

Tobi nodded, making some futile attempts to escape Kisame's strong grip. "….Tobi understands, really, he does… agh…" he made some more gurgling sounds and then eventually Kisame dropped him to the floor, crossing his arms in front of his chest and closing his eyes again, determined to get some sleep before continuing.

"One more thing," he muttered while sleep overwhelmed him. "Stop calling me Kisame-danna, will ya?"

When he opened his eyes again the sky was already getting dark in the east and the shadows surrounded him completely, making him freeze for a moment before he remembered where he was. He had automatically put a hand on the handle of his sword but now he relaxed it again, before getting up slowly. He stretched his back and heard some of the joints crack slightly, then he let out a loud sigh and rubbed his eyes to make sure he was awake again. He didn't exactly feel fresh, but he knew that he would soon enough feel energised again to go after Deidara.

Then he frowned. It was like he was missing something… but he couldn't exactly determine what it was. Suddenly feeling very lonely – a feeling he hadn't felt for years – he realized that his partner was nowhere to be seen. He turned around several times, then walked around the spot he had been lying on, called out, even looked beneath some bushes and stones but it was clear: Tobi had abandoned him and had left without leaving a trace.

He roared out with anger and then smashed a large rock with his fist, ignoring the sharp pain coming from his white knuckles before kicking wildly against a tree until it fell, and even then he still felt angry. Birds and small animals around him made sure that they got far away from him as he went on with his stampede, until he stood still in the centre of a small open field with fallen trees and ripped out bushes. With red eyes of anger he sniffed in the air like a wild dog, before running after a faint trace of scent that Tobi had left behind.

_Tobi_, he thought while licking off his lips, and his sharp teeth blinked in the dim light of the evening. _You're going to pay for leaving me here like this...!_

- Deidara's cabin -

It was strange being so close to Deidara without being able to speak. He had put a towel around her mouth and nose so that she couldn't speak, and even breathing normally was hard.

The ropes he had tied her up with were even more extraordinary than she had originally thought. After a long and intensive examination, she had come to the conclusion that the ropes were actually sucking up her chakra, making her feel tired and weak all the time but also making sure that she didn't faint by letting some of her chakra remain in her body.

She tried to move a little but the physical movement backfired heavily and she gasped for air she couldn't get through the towel, nearly hyperventilating. Deidara, who was sitting next to her behind his small kitchen table, removed the towel slightly, granting her access to fresh air for just enough time to regain control over her breathing, and then he placed it in front of her lips again, preventing her from speaking.

She glared daggers at him but he didn't even look at her as he concentrated on his breakfast again, toast with butter and a large glass filled to the edge with milk. She stared at the food and drooled as she imagined how good it would be to take a bite from the toast, followed by a large sip of cold milk….

Deidara looked up, smirking. "Are you really sure you don't want to eat anything, Sakura?" he asked, his voice provoking her big time. She scowled at him and then stubbornly shook her head, only making the grin on his face widen. "You can't lie to me," he said, taking a bite. "Your thoughts betray you, hmm."

Sakura tried to kick him, which resulted in another hyperventilation attack and a death glare of Deidara. "Stop doing that," he complained. "You're my hostage now. Really, you should stop with doing those stupid things or they'll kill you, hmm. And that would be really inconvenient…" he drained the glass of milk and then placed it on the table with a loud thump. "Now thát was good…!"

Sakura forced herself to look away from the remain of milk that was still left in the glass and looked around the small kitchen. The cabin in the woods was small, but – even though she hated to admit it – very cozy. She'd never imagined that Deidara had been able of decorating the house on his own.

In nearly every room the wooden accents of the outer walls came back, giving the cabin a bit of a mountain home idea, and the floors were all made from the same dark stone with in every room except from the kitchen a large carpet which was different in all rooms, but fitting the decoration nevertheless. The kitchen was also smaller than they had had in the special apartment, and also a lot less high tech, but it had everything a kitchen needed, all in the same woody style. The cupboards had gotten a greenish color which fitted perfectly with the dark brown wood of the walls and the dark gray stones on the floor, and if you looked at the carpet beneath your feet for a long time it felt as if you were standing on top of trees, staring down the green leaves beneath you.

Suddenly she felt Deidara's arms around her and her eyes flicked to his face, which had gotten really close again. She felt her heartbeat increase immediately as he lifted her from the chair, forced to hold her close to him because of the chains. Then he stood still in the kitchen, staring at Sakura's face, who sweatdropped as she stared back.

She felt angry with him. Very angry. But at the same time, she couldn't help but melt in his arms as he stared at her with those blue eyes. She knew it was unnatural, but she couldn't help but feel excited whenever he was close or even when he said her name.

"I wanted to go and do the dishes," he said, obviously more to himself than to Sakura as he stared at the ceiling. "but that wont go like this, hmm." Then he looked at Sakura who gulped as soon as their eyes met before blushing fanatically. "But I can't _unleash _you, too, hmm," and he leaned in close, his lips brushing against the towel in front of her lips faintly, making her gasp for air even though she didn't want to. "Can I?"

He chuckled as he saw her read face. "Now now, don't you worry, I wont hurt you, hmm…" and he grabbed her chained hand with his own chained one, pinching it slightly. He had been clever enough to let her chained hand hang out between the ropes so that he could move around, but it wasn't exactly comfortable as her wrist had to make a rather unnatural angle between her back and the outer world.

Suddenly Deidara's eyes flew open and Sakura gulped as he stared at her with a glare she couldn't define. He sniffed and then frowned at her, leaning in over her and sniffing again before making a very ugly face. Sakura blushed heavily as she realized he must've smelled the sweat and dirt that had gathered on her skin in the last couple of weeks, as she'd refused to take another shower after the enormous failure of the first one.

"Sakura, I'm sorry to say it," he said as they started to walk towards a room Sakura hadn't been in before. " But you really smell bad, hmm." And he kicked the door open with his foot, making Sakura's eyes fly open as she realized what kind of room they were entering.

It was the bathroom.

She started to struggle as he closed the door, but the lack of oxygen and energy and on top of that her very painful wrist as he pulled the chains on purpose to make her silent even though he gasped of pain for a second too made sure she couldn't do a thing. He lay her on the floor very carefully and scowled at her. "Okay, if you don't want to listen, hmm, you STINK."

Sakura let out a cry of embarrassment as he rolled her on her tummy so that her wrist didn't have to make such a weird angle and started to take her shoes off. He groaned as he had taken them off and Sakura blushed even deeper.

"Oh my god, this is too BAD, this stinks like rotten eggs, hmm!!"

Then she felt his free hand around her left ankle and she froze. He gently rubbed her calve from down to up, going over several battle scars carefully before reaching her knee and going back down again. "Hngggg," she managed to cry out and he stopped.

Then, to her amazement, he started to untie the knots he had made in the ropes on her back. Her hands startled to sting as the blood started to flow normally again, but he didn't untie the ropes enough to allow her to use her arms. He had carefully shoved the ropes up higher around her upper arms, now wrapping her arms against her sides tightly, making new knots.

He rolled her over and then removed the towel, and she gasped for fresh air as soon as the damp towel got lifted off her lips. Before she could even get two big breaths he had placed his finger on her lips, giving her a warning glare.

"Make one noise and I tie you up like before again," he said darkly, and Sakura couldn't do anything else than nod. She could still feel the ropes around her wrists and she shivered as she thought about the cuts that they must've left behind on them. "There aren't many cuts on them, hmm," Deidara said, answering her thoughts and she blushed.

"But I assure you that there will be if you talk."

He took off her other shoe and calve protector and placed them on a chair behind them, and Sakura, who followed his hands with her eyes, careful not to say a word, suddenly saw how large the bathroom was. It was way larger than the living room or bedroom, and as she stared around the first thing that she saw clearly was a large bathtub in the centre of the room, made of some glossy and onyx dark stone, which was large enough to fit in at least five people. At the other end of the bathroom which had enormous white marble tiles on the walls two sinks were attached to the them, black, and made out of the same sort of stone that the tub consisted of. Further there was a toilet, also black, behind a small wall to grant the user some privacy, and some places where dark towels hung.

_This looks nice…_

"You like it?" Deidara asked while he got his own shoes off, and suddenly Sakura realized that she wasn't going to be the only one taking a bath, and that realization made her ears fiery red while she stared at Deidara. He looked up at her, and as he saw her highly red face he smirked.

Then he opened his kunai bag with his free hand. Sakura froze as she followed his hand which was obviously searching for something, her muscles ready to do something even though she knew that the physical strain from the ropes was too big to move. When he got out a kunai she uttered a small cry, making him look up.

"I thought I told you to remain silent," he warned her, and she stared at the kunai in his hand with wide open eyes.

_Get yourself together, damn it!_ She thought while she tried to control her heartbeat. _He can't kill you, don't you ever forget that…_

"Was I planning on killing you then, hmm?" Deidara asked while he raised the kunai in the air, making Sakura's heartbeat increase even more. Before she could even make a sound he had put the sharp edge against her shirt and tore the fabric apart, cutting it open very slowly, careful not to cut her skin. Sakura followed the movements of the kunai with her eyes, heart beating like crazy,

He got off her torn apart shirt and then put off his own shirt, staring at Sakura's face after that for a long time, making her feeling very uneasy. Then he bowed forwards and removed her skirt with one hand – his free hand – and Sakura stared at the ceiling while feeling tears well up in her eyes.

Slowly the seriousness of the situation started to sink in. Not only was she taken hostage by an Akatsuki member who she had strangely started to trust in the time they had spent together, if things went on like this he might…. He might…

_Oh my god he's going to rape me,_ she thought while the tears started to run down her cheeks as she felt extremely exposed while his hand lay on her stomach, his thumb making circles on her skin.

But as soon as he must've heard her thoughts, the hand went away, and as nothing came, Sakura dared to look at him again, her vision blurry with tears. He sat next to her, hands in his lap while he was still wearing his pants, staring at her.

"Did you really think I'd do that?" he asked, and to her surprise his voice sounded hurt.

She simply stared at him, afraid to speak, afraid of what he might do if she gave the wrong answer. He stared at his hands and then his lip twitched. She felt a weird sensation coming off his body and she tried to get away from him without commanding her body to do so, but he stopped her by placing his hand on her thigh.

"I am just going to wash you, hmm," he grunted, "because you stink and you're making my house filthy." And the cold tone in his voice stopped the tears. He then lifted her, not aware of the fact – or so Sakura hoped – that her entire body reacted heavily to the skin to skin contact of their upper bodies, and placed her in the bath tub, not stepping in himself.

She sat upright against the sides of the tub and Deidara had to stretch out far to reach the water, his chained hand resting on her shoulder and pressing her to the floor slightly. He turned the knob around and water gushed out of several openings in the bathtub, and Sakura yelped as the water, which was still very cold, reached her tied up feet, and she automatically pulled them up to her chest.

The water wetted her underwear and her teeth clattered with the cold while Deidara was still adjusting the temperature. Then, finally, the water started to get warmer, and as soon as it had reached a nice temperature, Deidara made sure the water wouldn't flow away again and the tub started to fill. The water was warm but not too hot and as it started to surround her, Sakura couldn't help but shiver.

Deidara stepped behind her, still standing outside of the tub, and then massaged her shoulders with his free hand while his chained hand hung in the water, nearly touching her elbow. He didn't speak as he got something out of cabins that stood next to the bath tub and were just in his reach, and then he put a nice smelling soap in the water.

Sakura's eyes flew open. She knew that smell! _It's the same I use back home_, she thought while she stared at the water before she looked up at Deidara's face, which had turned slightly pink because of the hot air coming off the water – but, and Sakura didn't knew this, the pink color was more because of the nice view he had from above her – and he smiled at her.

"It's the same, hmm," he said while he put some of the liquid soap on his free hand with his teeth. His chained hand was now unable of coming above the water, unless Sakura raised her own chained arm but she couldn't.

Then he started soaping in her back with large, circular movements, making Sakura close her eyes even though she knew she should keep them open. It was just too good. She knew very well that she should be angry with him, that she should be trying to escape or at least make plans to do so, but strangely enough he wasn't acting as cold and distant as she had thought he would be. She caught herself on thinking that, perhaps, he hadn't been acting all the time, and she shook her head to get off the idea. She didn't notice that Deidara froze momentarily as he heard her think it and she stared at the water surface beneath her nose, secretly enjoying the touch of his hand on her back.

- Konoha, normal time -

Naruto was packing his stuff. He didn't have a lot of things to take with him, but he wanted to make sure he had everything he might need, and when he had to pick between two things – his sleeping hat or an extra pair of shoes – he took them both, stuffing them in his backpack, aware of the fact that it would get very heavy this way.

He remembered how he had found the glass chains on that doomed day in Tsunade's office when he'd been searching for her, and how he had taken them with him, determined to find out how they worked and what he could do with them. He had secretly been obsessed with their glossy surface and when the opportunity to use them had occurred he hadn't thought twice and had offered them to Sakura…

He clenched his teeth on each other and shook his head. There was nothing he could do about that. If he wanted to get rid of the guilty feeling then he should go and get her back before that bastard might hurt her, and he was determined to do so.

So he strapped his backpack to his back and got up, nearly falling over by its weight, knowing that he had taken too much with him. _No_, he thought, _scowling. I need to see this as training, just as fuzzy eyebrows does, so that I can get stronger and get you back, Sakura-chan!_

A loud knock on the door made him look up and he stumbled towards the door and opened it, letting in a stressed Sasuke. "You need to hurry up, dobe," he said, his voice cold and fast, and he took a quick look around in Naruto's apartment before his glare stopped at his large backpack. "And you shouldn't take so much with you!" he hissed, grabbing Naruto's collar and pulling him close to him, his eyes dark with anger. "It's supposed to be a STEALTH mission, and we can't have you stumbling around in the trees, warning everyone where we are!!"

Naruto gave Sasuke an angry glare and strapped his backpack even more tighter to his shoulders, provoking Sasuke big time. "Of course I wont blow our cover, temee," Naruto grunted, showing his teeth. "The only one who could possible show where we are is **you!"**

Sasuke dropped him to the floor but kept glaring daggers at him. "And what is that supposed to mean, huh?" he asked, his voice screeching. "What are you aiming at?! Explain yourself!" And he stepped closer, but Naruto didn't budge.

"I saw you," the blonde hissed, eyes narrowed to slits, his blue irises glaring at Sasuke with an intensity that could freeze water. Sasuke's eyes widened for a second and a drop of sweat made its way down his neck, but he covered his shock with anger. He plastered a snobby expression on his face and looked down on Naruto.

"That still doesn't make any sense at all, you're still as dumb and annoying as you were before I left, temee."

Naruto growled like a wounded animal before suddenly shoving Sasuke out of the way, slamming him hard against the doorway. "I'm sorry Sasuke," he roared before he stepped on the corridor and stared at a squirming Sasuke on the floor. "But I do not approve what you did and I will not accept any lies anymore."

He kneeled next to Sasuke who had now activated his sharingan and stared at him with his blood red eyes, but Naruto remained unaffected. "If you really want Sakura-chan back," he hissed, bringing his face close to Sasuke's, "Then you should tell her what you did with that blond girl from Suna."

Sasuke howled and launched himself at Naruto. The blonde wanted to react but because of his large backpack he wasn't fast enough, and Sasuke hit him full in the face, blowing him in the opposite wall. Naruto spat out blood as he fell on his knees, but before he could overcome his trembling body, Sasuke kicked him full in the stomach, sending him flying in the ceiling, screaming of pain as he felt one of his ribs break before he came down again. As soon as he hit the floor sharp pain shot throughout his entire body and when he tried to get up his arms simply refused to do so.

Then someone grabbed his collar and dragged him up from the floor, and even though he couldn't see clearly, he could see Sasuke's sharingans stare in his eyes, closer than ever and very pissed off. "Shut up dobe," he hissed. "Or I'll kill you."

Naruto stared at Sasuke and then he laughed softly. "…kill me… Sasuke… really…"

Sasuke scowled and punched Naruto's body against the wall hard, only resulting in Naruto laughing harder, even though blood soon ran down his cheek and his backpack lay shredded on the floor, all the cans of soda cracked and now spilling their contents to the wooden floor.

"Stop laughing!!" Sasuke screamed, before hitting Naruto in the face again, breaking his nose. "Stop laughing, god damn it!!" and he again pulled his arm back, knuckles red with Naruto's blood, ready to strike, when a flash of silver suddenly pulled him away from Naruto and held him secure. Without Sasuke holding Naruto in the air, the blonde fell forwards, only to be caught just in time by another dark haired boy with pale skin and black clothing.

"Let me go! He needs to stop laughing!!" Sasuke kept on screaming even though Kakashi had managed to prevent him from moving. "I need to wipe that selfish little smile from his lips… LEMME GO!!"

Sai, who was carrying Naruto, got up from the floor. Kakashi nodded and Sai bowed slightly, careful not to drop the blonde, and then he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving Kakashi and Sasuke behind on the devastated corridor.

With Naruto gone the black haired boy seemed to calm down slightly, but Kakashi didn't let him go just jet. He stared at the damage done to the building and then to the raven black hair in front of him, knowing that the one responsible for the damage was not Naruto, but Sasuke, and he sighed.

"It thought that I had told you that hate is not the way to solve things, Sasuke," he said, letting go of Sasuke who stumbled forwards and rubbed his arms where Kakashi had held him. He turned around and glared at Kakashi, who couldn't help but feel relieved as he saw no Sharingan. He knew that, if Sasuke wanted to, he could defeat him, and even though he didn't want to admit that, it frightened him.

"You wouldn't understand," Sasuke hissed, crossing his arms in front of his chest, already busy with making his face look like he didn't care again.

"Then make me," Kakashi said, raising his voice slightly. "Sasuke, you must understand that you cant go around punching and kicking people whenever they do something you do not like." He narrowed his eye slightly. "That's just selfish and extremely spoiled."

"Hmpf." Sasuke looked another way, his eyes already regained their calm, his face still sweaty with the fight of minutes ago.

Kakashi sighed. It was useless. Even though Sasuke had come back, something had changed in the boy. He was less accepting, and even more hateful than he had been before he had left town. He stared at the boy, remembered how he had talked with him just after the chuunin exams, telling him that with hate, he would only remain as an empty shell. Back then, it had seemed like his speech had had any effect, but now all that seemed gone.

"Sasuke. You need to come with me to the Hokage. You know that."

The boy nodded. "I guess it can't be helped, then."

Sai made his way out of the apartment quickly, his heart beating faster than he was used to. He didn't know why he had an accelerated heartbeat, or why his hands felt a bit sweaty in his gloves, and he wondered what might have done that while he jumped up a roof to be able to travel faster.

_Naruto-kun looks pretty damaged_, he thought while he looked at the blonde he was carrying. Naruto's head had fallen to one side with blood constantly leaking out of the corner of his mouth and nose, and he breathed irregular and screechy, signing that he had broken several ribs. _I wonder why Sasuke-kun did something like this. I thought they were friends._ He frowned. _I guess there's still a lot I do not know about friends. Perhaps I should hit Naruto too, if that makes our bond tighter…_

He arrived at the hospital and landed on the roof, entering the building by the ninja entrance. He had heard about it and was determined to use this entrance rather than the main one, knowing that this way people wouldn't ask about how Naruto gained all the wounds. And, not completely unimportant, the Hokage was said to be in an office in the hospital that only ninja could get straight access through via the ninja entrance on the roof.

He went down a dark stairway and then arrived on a small corridor with only one door in it, and he went ahead and knocked, holding Naruto on one arm for a moment.

As there was no respond Sai frowned. That was strange. Had he forgotten something important about this door…? He thought about it for a moment and then he suddenly remembered that Kakashi had told him to say a code to enter, because hostile ninjas needed to be repelled from the hospital as much as possible. The silver haired ninja had only told him the code after he had sworn to never tell it to anyone else.

So he knocked again and this time he whispered: "Ignis ignito." **(a/n: don't know if it's right but it might mean something with "fire" in Latin. And even if it doesn't, it sounds cool :3)** The lock clicked and then the door swung open. Sai stepped inside a total dark room without even breaking a sweat, looking around.

_Where could the Hokage be? Why would she be sitting in a dark room like this?_

"**Are you a Konoha ninja?"**

Sai looked around, surprised. The voice seemed to come from everywhere around him, but he couldn't define from where precisely. He cleared his throat.

"Yes. I am a Konoha ninja."

He heard a clicking sound. **"Are you here to bring a wounded?"**

Sai blinked. "Yes. I am here to bring a wounded."

Again he heard a click. He started to wonder what it might be but he didn't have much time for that as the voice spoke again. **"Ninja or not?"**

"Ninja."

He answered without hesitating. Another click. Then all the lights went on, and he blinked a couple of times to let his dark eyes adjust to the light. Behind the desk that stood in front of him sat a dark haired woman with a little pink pig on her lap, her hands on the desk, her head resting on them. Sai stared at her shamelessly.

"Where is the hokage?" he asked, already looking around.

"She's not present. I'm taking her place here in the hospital. I'm Shizune and I'm here to help you," and she got up, placed the pig on the floor and bowed for Sai. Sai, whose mind couldn't define what she was doing, bowed as well, and he nearly dropped Naruto to the floor.

As soon as Shizune saw the blonde in his arms her eyes widened and she clapped a hand in front of her mouth, stepping back. "Is that Naruto-kun?" she asked, her voice muffled by the hand. Sai nodded, not knowing why she was overreacting that much.

_They can heal him again, so why are they always overreacting like this?_ He thought, tilting his head slightly. Then he sighed. _I'll never understand those silly emotions._

"Place him down, place him down," Shizune said panicking, shoving papers and stuff from the desk. A loud clinging noise made her look up and she frowned at a broken sake bottle that lay on the floor. "Tsunade-sama is drinking again…"

Sai lay Naruto down on the desk and then stepped back, bowing again. "Mission completed. Am I obligated to leave the room?"

Shizune, who had already started on putting back Naruto's broken bones, nodded without looking up from her patient. Sai bowed again and then he disappeared again, leaving Shizune behind with a Naruto that seemed beaten up like hell. She mended his broken ribs – three of them! – and then carefully healed his broken nose, making sure that it would look the same as it had been before the accident. She then opened his mouth and looked inside, adjusting the lamp on the desk to havebetter view. He had lost one of his teeth and he had bitten his tongue, what would explain the blood loss, and she sighed with relief. At least no internal organs were damaged. She quickly healed his bleeding tongue and then concentrated on growing back his tooth. It was difficult as she had to get detailed cell information from the surrounding teeth and then resurrect the same cells in the open spot, while making sure that she didn't went to deep or she might damage his nerve system in the jaw.

Halfway through the operation though Naruto regained consciousness. He opened his eyes slowly and when he saw Shizune's face nearly inches from his, his still blurry mind from the blows he had received earlier didn't register that she was healing him but only that she was way too close!

"Aghgh!! Let gho of mwe!!" he yelled, pushing her away from him, stumbling off the desk and landing on the floor in a pile of paper, while dragging the lamp with him. "Noo! Don't touch mweh, stahy away from mwe!" his jaw felt swollen but he refused to let Shizune get close. "What were you doingh over mwe," he roared, while slowly feeling the pain in his jaw because of the uncompleted operation.

"I was healing you lost teeth," Shizune explained, her left hand on her right eye which was already starting to swell up. Naruto had actually _hit_ her to be able to escape from her, and she wasn't completely sure if it was safe to get close to him again.

Naruto stared at her. When he saw her swollen eye though his eyes widened and he suddenly stopped resisting. His arms fell down his sides and he stared at the ceiling again, mouth partly open. He seemed to realize that she was there to help him, not to hurt him.

"I'm shorry," he muttered.

Shizune smiled weakly. At least he had regained self control again. "It doesn't matter. Now let me repair that lost tooth of yours."

- Hokage office -

Tsunade's eyes ached with the constant light of the television screen she had been staring at for three hours straight. In the three days after Deidara and Sakura's departure she had managed to get the tapes from their apartment, but because Mizura's messenger had been delayed and there were a lot problems in and around Konoha, she hadn't been able of watching them. But now, as she had just told Naruto that he had the green light to go after Sakura, she needed to get as much information about how their relationship had build up, and what might have caused Sakura to let Deidara get his clay back.

She sighed. She had a vague idea of what might have happened, but she didn't want to think about it. It hurt as she realized that Sakura might have as well fallen in love with the snobby Akatsuki, and that that would all be her own fault for getting Sakura to do such a thing in the first place. She rested her head in her hands, still staring at the screen on which Sakura and Deidara made their way through the apartment. Of course she had sped up the tapes but she slowed them down occasionally to make sure what happened.

Then, when they stood still in front of each other in the center of the room, Tsunade hit the slow button, making the tape run on real speed. She crept closer and could even see the blush spreading all over Sakura's face as she whispered something that the recorder couldn't register. Deidara, whose face was partly hidden because he stood with his back to the recorder, nodded.

Then Sakura went on her tiptoes and kissed Deidara.

Tsunade, completely astounded, fell back, pressing the pause button as soon as she could, staring at the kissing couple on the screen. This was not a kiss a female ninja would have used to seduce someone. This was a kiss that was filled with nerves, and with held back passion, and as she stared with wide open eyes at the kiss, she realized that Sakura had already developed feelings for the Akatsuki in their first week together, even before she had given her the mission!

"God damn it, Sakura!" She yelled, punching her fist into the floor, cracking the wood. "Why didn't you tell me you liked him?! WHY?!"

* * *

**Tell me what you thought about this chapter, also about things you didn't like. I am also writing this story for school (never thought I would be able to do that one day :3) and I'd really like to keep improving myself. **

**Reviews are always appreciated and thanks to everyone who reviewed up until now! **


	20. the inevitable truth

**Yosh! Another chapter done!! I'm getting closer and closer to the end, but I'm getting less an****d less time to write TT But I'll finish this, I'm determined!!**

**Anyway, enough talk, here's the nineteenth chapter, and I hope you enjoy :)**

**Oh, and I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter 19 – the inevitable truth**

The day passed without Deidara or Sakura noticing it. They ate something in the afternoon, cleaned the house further of dust and cobwebs – and darn, did Sakura hate spiders – and before they knew it, the sun was already setting and making the shadows long, covering the house in darkness, forcing Deidara to put on some lights.

He looked at Sakura and then, with a nod of his head, gestured that she should get up, before getting up from the couch himself. Sakura followed him immediately, knowing that, if she didn't go with him on free will, he'd drag her with him. The floor was now so clean that you could nearly eat of it, but still, she didn't exactly like the feeling it was giving her. So she walked close behind him, their chained hands hanging next to each other, the chains between them hanging loosely to the floor.

He then pulled the curtains shut, making sure that no light filtered outside, and moved to the other window to do the same. And Sakura followed him, head bowed obediently, knowing not to make a sound. He had changed since this morning. He'd grown to be… very silent. He didn't talk to her anymore like he used to, he even stopped with his useless and irritating comments he used to throw at her all the time. She didn't know what had caused this sudden change in behaviour – he hadn't punched, kicked or hurt her in anyway which she had though he would since she _was _his hostage – but she had the slightest feeling that it might be because of what she'd thought that morning.

Somehow she might have insulted him, and even though she didn't want to admit it, not even towards herself, she hated herself for making him act so strangely. _What even made me think he might… _she thought, even her thoughts shaky. _He's been acting a lot softer and nicer than I guessed he would. The question is, then why did he say he had planned it all out? It doesn't make any sense at all!_

"What do you wanna eat?"

His voice startled her, since he hadn't spoken to her for at least five hours. She blinked before answering. "Eh, I'm not, er, really hungry, actually." And she smiled apologetically, blushing faintly. He gave her an emotionless look.

"Well I am. I thought about making cup ramen."

_Okay, something is really off, _Sakura thought while she stared at him. _He didn't even use the 'hmm' ending! _

"I'm going to eat." He turned around so fast that he tugged the cuffs, spinning Sakura on the spot, before dragging her with him. Just in time she managed to keep her balance and she stumbled behind him.

"Hey! Could you watch it!"

She clapped a hand in front of her mouth. He stopped walking.

What did she just say?

A flash of the ninja rules appeared in front of her eyes while she stared at his back, which she could nearly feel tensing. "…in case of being taken hostage, act calm and obedient, and wait for your chance to escape. If that does not occur, make sure that you make up a plan and try to send a message to the outer world. If that does not succeed, accept the fact of taken hostage and wait for your rescuers to come, do NOT make foolish attempts to escape…"

_I just dropped the "act calm and obedient" part, _she thought while he slowly turned around. _And he seems pissed off, too… _she clenched her fist. _Well, if he's gonna yell at me, he's gonna get damaged!! Don't mess with Sakura!_

Then, a sound she expected least came out of the person in front of her. Nearly four inches away from her, she heard Deidara _giggle. _Thank god it was no girlish giggle, not at all, more something like a chuckle, but less evil, less… less _bad_… he turned his head, and as their eyes met, Sakura saw that they sparkled with something she could only define as excitement. She gulped.

"I was already wondering," he said, still with a very happy undertone to it, "when you would finally break, hmm."

Sakura frowned. "Break?" she asked, forcing her voice to remain soft and controlled. "I did not break. Not at all."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh please. Don't try anything fancy with me. remember…" he tapped the side of his head with his free hand while turning to face her fully. "I can read your thoughts, hmm. At this very right moment, you're confused why I'm saying this…" he stepped closer. "And why I've been silent the entire day…" he stepped even closer, his chest nearly touched hers. "And now, your heart and brain are going crazy with me being so close, even though you should hate me, detest me, and wish I was dead, hmm."

He brought his face closer and stared into her eyes. "Am I right?"

Sakura stared at his face, her eyes shooting from his eyes to his mouth uncontrollably, feeling the urge to close the gap between them but suppressing that by sheer willpower.

He smirked. "I _am, _isn't it?" when she didn't respond but let her eyes rest on his lips, which were oh so close, he laughed softly. "What holds you back, kunoichi…?" he whispered, placing his free hand on her back. "No one ever needs to know… we're far away from everybody…" he brought his face to her hear. "You can even say that I forced you, hmm…"

Sakura slowly started to loose it. He was talking right in to the things that held her from jumping him, right in to the things that she felt were holding her back from doing what her entire body screamed for. "I… I cant, Deidara, and you…" she clenched her teeth on each other when he kissed the skin beneath her ear. "…you shouldn't, either…"

"I shouldn't?" he whispered, kissing her again, making her freeze. "Why shouldn't I? You see, that's the best part of it…" he chuckled. "Of leaving town. Becoming a free ninja."

He kissed her jaw, getting closer and closer to her chin. "I can do…" he'd nearly reached her lips. The twirling feeling in Sakura's stomach was reaching uncomfortable speeds and heights. "everything…" she let out a little surprised sound which startled herself but was completely justified as he pulled her closer to him and panted against her chin. "…that I want, hmm."

And then he moved his lips to hers. Time seemed to freeze. Sakura froze. He was getting closer and closer, and she moved towards him. A drop of sweat ran down her neck. She wanted this so badly, her entire body wanted this more than anything out there. But then, completely out of line, something hurt like hell.

She collapsed. Deidara gasped while reaching for his stomach, too, while Sakura stumbled backwards, dragging Deidara along with her. Pain shot right through her lower stomach. It felt like several hot knives were put in her flesh, moved up and down, and then removed again.

"Goddammit," Deidara panted while grabbing a doorpost with his free hand, pulling Sakura towards him with his chained one. "What the hell is this, hmm?!" he couldn't end his sentence properly as another shot of pain forced him to close his mouth. "You didn't eat something bad, did you?!"

Sakura shook her head. No, she hadn't eaten anything bad for a very long time, not since the milk she'd been given when she'd been at Naruto's place once. So what was going on? Then, slowly, something occurred to her. _Oh no. No. No no no no. No this cannot be. _Her heart raced in her chest while she started to count the weeks. _One… two… three… FOUR…! _she gulped and looked up at Deidara, who was still staring at her with an angry and also frightened look.

"And?" he asked, sounding rushed.

She opened her mouth but the words wouldn't come out.

"Whát?!"

She stared at her feet. Another cramping pain attack hit her and she gasped again.

_This, _she thought, still unable to speak, concentrating on Deidara with all her mind. _Is one of my periods. _

"you're kidding me."

He stared at her with wide open eyes, jaw dropped to the floor, pupils shrank to the size of a needle point. Sakura trembled, her lips curled in a smile something in between crying and smirking. She didn't know how to react to this. She could be happy, yes, this was another thing that would irritate him crazy. But, also, this would hurt. And what about…

"stop, stop," he cried, pushing his hands against his head. "You can't be serious, you simply can't, hmm! You're just… I dunno…" he stared at her. "Making fun of me!"

Sakura shook her head. Another cramp hit them and they both collapsed half. Sakura grabbed her stomach. "Have you got something…" she muttered, looking up to him half. He shook his head, gasping with pain.

"What do you suspect?" he asked, his voice sounding angry but also extremely annoyed. "I'm a GUY, I don't have… don't have…" his voice died away. "I don't have _those things _here!!"

"Oh god, oh god," Sakura muttered, looking left and right. "You know," she looked up at him and he stared back. "if you hadn't taken me with you this wouldn't have happened at all…!"

His lip twitched. "What are you talking about, hmm?!"

They stood a feet away from each other, both still bowed forwards to ease the pain a bit, staring at each other's faces. His gaze was both angry and upset, and her gaze was accusing but also painful. Her mind was already wandering to the places that she would have to go to shortly. Let's say, what about the blood? He didn't have anything at home. And besides, she would get extremely grumpy. And, seeing how much he got troubled by just hearing what was wrong, if he had to help her…

"I'm talking about the fact that _I _or at least _Tsunade _would have had something for this."

He sniffed. "Well, it doesn't have to be so bad, hmm? I heard…" he blushed. "I heard that… with some women… the blood isn't so much… so perhaps..?"

Sakura bowed her head. "Gomen, Deidara," she whispered. "I'm not one of them."

- Konoha -

"WHAAT??"

Naruto, standing in the door of the hokage office, looked astounded. "No, Tsunade-baachan, you need to be wrong! This cannot be, dattebayo!! I'm better, I'm healthy, I don't even feel any pain anymore! Besides, Sasuke and I will be able to work together just fine, it's okay, he won't even touch me anymore, so I can-"

"Naruto!"

Naruto stopped ranting. He stared at Tsunade. She stood, half panting, bowed over her desk. Shizune stood next to her, the pig in her arms, a worried look on her face. Dotongu stood on the other side, a serious expression on his face, a hand placed on Tsunade's back.

"But…"

"We can't go yet, Naruto," Tsunade said. Her voice was weak and sounded shaky, and she didn't even make eye contact with the blonde ninja. "Mizura's messenger hasn't arrived yet. Without the cure, we'd have no reason to go after them." Then she finally looked up, and Naruto flinched as he saw the sad expression on her face. "I want Sakura back, too, Naruto," she whispered, tears glistering in her eyes. "Don't think I don't… I really want to. But if we get them back without having a cure…" she swallowed. A tear ran down her left cheek, and Dotongu patted her back softly. "Things would just repeat themselves. And… and I don't want that!"

Naruto scowled at her. "I don't understand," he complained. "If we get them back first, we can wait for that messenger to come, right, right? And then we can cut them loose, and question Deidara anyway!"

But the happy expression on his face drained away as another tear ran down Tsunade's cheek. "…right, Tsunade-baachan?" he asked, his voice dying away at the end of the sentence. But the Hokage shook her head.

"I've thought about it, Naruto. A lot. But I've come to my conclusion and I wont back out of it anymore. We can't get them back without the cure, it's just impossible." She swallowed. "Please Naruto, try to understand. We have to prepare ourselves before we undertake any action at all… and that cure is one of the many preparations we have to do before our departure."

Naruto yelled out of anger. "But why, Tsunade-baachan?! You told me – no, you _promised _me we would go! Besides," he panted of anger, eyes shooting fire but also glaring into Tsunade's desperately. "What reason do you have to think that? I… I just… I cannot understand it!!"

Tsunade looked down again and several tears dripped on her desk, her shoulders shaking heavily with crying. Shizune put an arm around the Hokage and pulled her closer, whispering soft words of comfort, while Dotongu concentrated on Naruto, who stared desperately from Dotongu to Tsunade and back.

"Naruto-kun," Dotongu said, his voice low and warm as always, but with a sad and cold undertone to it. "What Tsunade tries to say, what she can't say," he looked to Tsunade and then back to Naruto. "…is that Sakura perhaps won't come back with us if we don't loosen her from Deidara-kun."

Naruto stared at Dotongu and then shook his head. "No, that's a lie!" he shook his head again. "Why would Sakura-chan do such a thing, huh? She hates that guy! She'll take any opportunity to escape!" suddenly his voice died. He stared at Dotongu while slowly the pieces of what he had seen and heard started to fall together.

Sakura had been happy with that guy. She'd been laughing, making jokes, talking normally… the color swept out of his face as he remembered that she'd actually been kissing Deidara minutes before he had attacked them.

"She _will _come back, right?"

Dotongu shook his head slowly, his eyebrows curved in a sad curve. "Sumimasen, Naruto-kun… but that's because…"

"That's because Sakura…" Tsunade suddenly said, silencing Naruto, making him stare at the broken woman. "…fell in love with him."

- Tobi -

He was hiding in the bushes nearby a large group of trees, staring at them intensively. Just minutes ago, heck, perhaps even a few seconds, he'd heard something, coming from the same group of trees he was staring at right now. Something that sounded like a yell, or a cry, which could've been from both shock or anger, Tobi couldn't tell, came out of those trees. He was sure. Next to that he could tell that there was something extraordinary about that group of trees, because he had found a powerful genjutsu shield around it as soon as he tried to enter.

He tilted his head. _Hmm. Perhaps Deidara's hiding in there. _He looked left and right before he walked over the open spot towards the group of trees, coming as close as possible without stepping over the genjutsu line. _It would be something for Deidara though to attach bombs to the shield… I should be careful. _He carefully touched the shield, and he saw the air ripple like water beneath his touch. He smirked beneath his mask.

_Good thing Kisame's not here, _he thought while he searched on the floor for a clue to where the seals might've been hidden. _He'd probably try to break through it by sheer power… heh, the idiot. I'm glad I left him behind…_

He started to walk outside the circle that the genjutsu line formed, and he carefully stepped forwards, cautious not to touch the shield again, knowing that a too hard touch would probably detonate the bombs – just for in case there were any. Just when he was about to enter a pair of bushes, determined to keep following the shield's line to find the seal – this kind of shields was made out of seals, mostly two of them, placed on the floor and by that making a circle – he heard a sound behind him.

_What? An enemy?_

He turned around just in time to see a very pissed off Kisame, flying at him, Samehada held out in front of him and howling a battle roar. "FOUND YOU!!"

Tobi immediately snapped back to his cover and held his arms out in front of him, screeching: "Noo!! Kisame-san!! Please don't hurt – OOFF!!"

Samehada hit him full, and just when Kisame though he would shave a nice large amount of skin off the boy, the sword _went right through Tobi, _and as he stumbled forwards, lost his balance completely, Tobi stepped aside, dropping Kisame to the floor, where he immediately got up again, growling angrily, holding Samehada out in front of him.

"I don't know what you did, you little punk," he yelled, and Tobi's head yanked to the left, at where the shield was, hoping the person inside wouldn't notice them. "But you'll pay for leaving me behind!!"

And he dashed forwards, slicing air with Samehada, but again going right through Tobi, who didn't make a sound as he jumped backwards, falling over on purpose, landing on his backside hard.

"Gomen, Kisame-san!!" he cried, trying to make his voice sound as pitiful as possible, tugging his legs up to his chest defensively while he kept glaring at the shield from behind his mask. "But Tobi thought, if Tobi went without Kisame-san, Kisame-san could sleep a little longer! Tobi meant no harm! He swears! He swears!"

Kisame sighed and then placed Samehada with a loud thump on the floor, leaning on it faintly, staring at Tobi. "Hmpf," he eventually said before turning his attention off the boy. "You're lucky I'm not the worst guy in the world, or I'd have killed you."

And he turned again. This time he faced the shield. Tobi held in his breath while Kisame did the same as he'd done just before Kisame'd attacked him. "A shield?" he whispered, touching the shield's surface, making the air ripple again beneath his touch. He snapped his head towards Tobi. "did you know about this?"

Tobi nodded. "Yeah, yeah, Tobi found this shield! Good, isn't it? Tobi's great, right?"

"Yeah, right," Kisame muttered, his eyes searching the line of the shield in the sand. "Already found the seals for this shield?"

"No, not yet, but Tobi thought they would be over there," and Tobi pointed out to the bushes behind him. "But, Kisame-san, be careful!"

The large blue man stopped walking and looked over his shoulder to Tobi, who was still sitting on the ground. "And why would I?" he grunted, not completely sure if he had to trust Tobi. He had just left him without telling him where to go, and Kisame hated it when people just left him. It made him want to shave their skin off, even if he actually liked the person.

Tobi shrugged. "Well, Deidara-sempai was always fond of bombs, so, Tobi thought, perhaps sempai attached bombs to the shield…?" and he looked at Kisame, hoping with all his heart and mind that Kisame would believe him and do nothing stupid, as he suspected that Deidara might've used his favourite C-3 clay for the surveillance bombs.

And if they exploded, things would certainly get very nasty.

Kisame tilted his head and seemed to think what Tobi had said over a couple of times, before he suddenly looked back at Tobi and grinned widely, baring his pointy teeth. "You know, punk," he said and he stepped towards Tobi, offering him a hand to help him get up. "You're quite handy sometimes." And Tobi took the hand, allowing Kisame to help him get up. "But if Deidara's already in there – and I said IF – how are we going to get him out?" he stared at Tobi as if he suspected the boy to come up with a conclusion.

"You know, with all the bombs possibly attached to the shield and stuff… Jeez, really, if he actually did that, he's just too damn overprotective," and Kisame rubbed his head in an attempt to get a bright idea. If there were bombs, they had to be extremely cautious of their movements. One wrong step, a little bit too much pressure on the shield, and everything outside of it would detonate, including themselves. And that, Kisame was sure, he wanted to prevent.

"well," Tobi shrugged, "we could try to find the seals and break the shield by doing so. Don't you think, Kisame-san?"

Kisame nodded slowly. "..yeah, we could do that. But what if this damn thing explodes the second we get the seals off? We don't know that, do we?"

Tobi seemed to think about that. "You're right, Kisame-san," he said, staring at his hands. "But if that's so, then how are we going to break it?"

Kisame thought so hard that his head started to hurt and he grunted again, rubbing his face with his hands, trying to clear up his mind. Then he got an idea. He looked at Tobi.

"What if we waited?"

Tobi tilted his head. "Wait? For what?"

Kisame rolled his eyes. "You know, wait for Deidara to come out. If he's already hiding in there, then chances are that he hasn't got enough food to survive long. If he already has food. So he'll be forced to come out and hunt, right?"

Tobi nodded fast. "That's a very good idea, Kisame-san! Tobi agrees completely, he does!"

Kisame grinned. "I knew you would. Now, we first need to get a spot to hide…" he looked around and quickly found a nice spot, not too far away from the shield but well hidden behind some bushes. "And then, after we sit there," and he pointed to the spot while his other hand dug in his pocket. "We go and have a drink to get through the night! What do you say, heh? Pretty awesome, right?"

And he held up the saké bottle in front of him, smirking at Tobi. The boy nodded again, clapping his hands. "Oooh, that's liquor, right? Tobi has never had that, Deidara-sempai wouldn't give him any…" he jumped from one foot to another. "How does it taste? Is it sweet? Or is it bitter, because then Tobi'll probably not like it…"

Kisame shook his head and then pushed Tobi towards the bushes. "just go and sit over there, if you want a sip, that is…"

- the next day, at daybreak -

Sakura felt extremely awkward. Even though Deidara had acted very kind and understanding towards her, she felt that he wasn't exactly glad with the situation they were in. Not that she was, anyway. He didn't have any sanitary napkins so she was forced to use toilet paper – a LOT – but because of that, she hadn't been able to sleep for the entire night as she kept on worrying if the blood might leak into her clothes.

_Darn, _she thought, while staring at the ceiling angrily. _Sometimes I hate being a woman…_

Deidara, who was still sleeping, moved a little in his sleep, tugging the chains and making Sakura wake up out of her dozing state. She shook her head and blinked several times, but the sleepiness wouldn't go away. She sighed. Typically her to get this now.

_besides, _she thought while she turned her head to look at the sleeping Deidara next to her. _I guess I'll have to stay in bed for the next day, or I'll collapse… I've never once slept this bad, not even the first night we shared together. _She grinned unintentionally as she recalled the memory. _Well, I guess I don't even remember a lot of that, too. _

"Psst, Deidara," she whispered, poking his back with her free hand. She was facing his back, which was not very comfortable for their chained hands – her left hand lay flat on the mattress and the chains ran underneath his body towards his chained one – and she'd like to turn over since her leg was starting to feel numb of the weird position. "Psst! Would you please turn over? My arm's…"

He turned already, but she was sure he hadn't heard her speaking or thinking. He was still fast asleep, his mouth opened slightly, muttering things in his sleep which Sakura could not understand. Her eyes ran down his face towards his neck, and they rested at his collarbone and ribcage, which moved up and down on his constant breath, and she unintentionally crept closer towards him. Without thinking, she stroke the area between his chin and the little dimple between his collarbones, feeling his skin beneath her fingers.

She caught herself in the middle and yanked her hand back, her face soon flushing red as she realised what she had just done. _Okay, this is getting scary, _she thought as she stared at her hand like she had just committed a murder with it. _Come on Sakura, come on girl, think for an escape, do not think about him… not in any way…_

But her eyes immediately travelled back to his chest and she smacked her own head with her free hand in an attempt to stop herself. Because of the impact, Deidara woke with a start, dashing to the front and thus launching himself on top of her. Sakura's face got even redder as their bodies touched, and Deidara stared at her with wide open eyes, hands to the sides of her head, her own hands beneath them.

"Why did you do that?" he panted, voice still thick with sleepiness. "I was just… sleeping…" and Sakura saw his eyes slid close again. Before she could react, he collapsed on top of her, and as all the air got smacked out of her lungs, she desperately tried to push him off her, but with no success. Soon he also started snoring, and Sakura could nearly cry of embarrassment and because of the position she was in.

_Oh god, Tsunade, Naruto, _she thought while making another failed attempt on getting him off her. _Save me, please come and save me as fast as you can… _she gasped as he moved and she blushed again. _OH GODDAMN THOSE FUCKING HORMONES!!_

**Bit of a vague chapter, if I may say. Hope you all liked it anyways :P oh, and before I forget, I'm going to post a picture of Deidara with SHORT HAIR anytime soon on Deviantart. So if you're interested…? My name is Shabaku (just like here on ) so feel free to look around :) **

**PS: I said: anytime soon, so please don't get mad when it's not today**


	21. The Cure

Seriously, I'm on a roll

**Seriously, I'm on a roll! Wrote this in two days, which is an absolute record for me, but on the other hand: I do not really have another choice. Actually, I have to finish this story within five days, including today. Because school wants to put pressure on me --. But do not worry, I wont rush things! (promise!)**

**Anyway, what I wanted to say: I'm going to get this story printed out, like in a real book. It's part of the school assignment. I'm gonna draw my own cover and add some extra, deleted scenes, and sketches/drawings of situations in the book. So if you're interested…?**

**(dunno how much it's gonna cost, depends on the printing prices.)**

**Oh, and I uploaded another picture of Deidara: ****shabaku./art/Deidara-art-is-a-blast-86024589**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto **

**Chapter twenty: The Cure**

It was extremely busy in the heart of Konoha. Message of the disappearance of Sakura and the blond haired Akatsuki member she'd been attached to had spread with the speed of light, and soon everyone had somehow heard of it. People were starting to get frightened with what might happen. After all, Sakura had been a ninja that most people knew of, and the ones who knew her all knew she couldn't be defeated so easily.

She'd proven to be a ass kicking kunoichi!

But now the people started to doubt the safety of Konoha. It was clearly visible: people looked nervously over their shoulders when shopping or just walking through town, and the merchants were extremely cautious with their customers. Naruto noticed as he entered Ichiraku's, and the old man behind the bar kept his distance from him.

"Anou sa, old man," Naruto said unhappily, feeling like the entire town was against him again. Tsunade had called him to her yesterday evening, and today they should've left town to get Sakura. But because of the delayed messenger, it would at least take them another three, four days to leave. He sighed. "It's me, Naruto! What are you scared for, tebayo?" and he hung forwards, a pleading look in his eyes. The old man sighed.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun, but since that friend of yours got kidnapped out of town rumors started to spread... about Konoha not being safe anymore, and that the Akatsuki and Orochimaru could be on our doorstep with every more day…" the man shook his head. "Really Naruto, you think you can blame me?"

Naruto shook his head, staring at the bar. "Gomen, old man… you know, I had a pretty bad day myself too today, so I can understand how you're feeling, I guess." He sighed and then placed his hands on the desk, shifting uncomfortably on his bar chair. "Tsunade-baachan promised me we would go and search for Sakura-chan and get her back today…"

The old man raised an eyebrow. "But, Naruto, that's good isn't it? If you get her back things will soon settle here in town, I suppose!"

Naruto shook his head sadly. "That's the problem, old man! Tsunade-baachan called me to her yesterday evening and told me we would postpone the search, for at least another week!" he shook his head, ignoring the fact that he was exaggerating the three days Tsunade had said to him. "And that all because that baka messenger from the land of the waves got delayed… If he gets here I'll kill him, dattebayo!!"

The old man laughed. "Now, now, calm down or you'll scare my already few customers away! Besides," and he leaned forwards, half a smile on his face. "If you kill the messenger, they'll have to send another one and you'll have to wait another week. At least."

Naruto pouted and then looked away angrily. "Jeez! Like I didn't know that!" and he kept staring at the curtains for two more seconds before he suddenly turned around again, his eyes big and round and his hands folded in front of him in a pleading way. "Then, then, old man, will you give me free seconds, because I had a bad day? Onegaishimasu?"

The old man laughed again, then shook his head. "Really now, Naruto, you never change!"

Naruto smirked, slowly getting over his depression as usual when he ate ramen. "But, old man, you haven't answered my question yet!"

Several bowls further, Naruto hang fully stuffed on the bar chair, his hands on his stomach and three huge piles of empty bowls in front of him. "Old man," he said with a thick voice, "That was, without a doubt, the best ramen ever, tebayo!"

The old man, nearly invisible behind the piles of bowls, got the bowls of the desk and placed them in the sink so that someone else could wash them later on. "Arrigatou, Naruto, but…" and he smirked. "You still need to pay..!"

Naruto froze and then gulped as he looked up at the old man. "Er, well, old man, about that…" and he, while smiling sheepishly, dug up his old green frog wallet to count the coins. He sighed and stared at the full wallet, already feeling sorry for eating so much and having to spend everything again.

He paid for the ramen and then left, walking a bit unsteady because of his full stomach, putting his wallet back in his pocket after counting the pitiful few coins that were left inside. Only 200 yen left… (a/n: about 2 dollar, right?) he should really be more careful with how much he ate and how much money he had!

When he was about to climb up the iron stairs that lead towards his apartment, he bumped against someone and he looked up, right into the dark eyes of Sasuke, who stood several steps higher. "Sa.. Sasuke," he muttered, a bit surprised, while he quickly took a step back. He hadn't forgotten the encounter they'd had before, and he didn't want to get hit like that again. He scowled lightly at the mere idea. No, this time, he wouldn't let Sasuke lay a finger on him. This time, he would fight back!

"I thought we were supposed to leave today. I waited here since this afternoon but you didn't show up." his voice was nearly emotionless and Naruto stared at Sasuke. He probably hadn't heard about the messenger, and Naruto couldn't blame Tsunade for not telling Sasuke. After all, he'd been pissed and deadly dangerous for the entire day, and that was not the time to talk calmly with him.

"No," Naruto muttered. "Tsunade-baachan told me… we're waiting for the messenger from the land of the waves, tebayo. For the cure."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Why are we waiting for that? I thought the Hokage wanted Sakura back as soon as possible."

Naruto sniffed. The way Sasuke just said that insulted him, like Tsunade was the only one wanting Sakura back! "Of course she does, tebayo!" Naruto shouted, shaking his head and clenching his fists. "But Tsunade-sama has her own reasons, and she wouldn't tell me why we're waiting for it!"

This time it was Sasuke's turn to sniff. "You're lying, dobe," he spoke, and his lips curled in an awful smirk. "Did you forget that I can see through you lying nearly immediately? Now tell me the real reason."

Naruto frowned. "And what if I don't?" he asked, aware of being on dangerous grounds, already collecting chakra for a quick counter attack if Sasuke decided to attack him.

Sasuke's smirk got even wider. "Then I'll tell everyone that the real reason Sakura left, is not because that Deidara guy forced her to," and his eyes locked to Naruto's. "but because she wanted to escape Konoha after you attacked her."

Naruto's pupil's shrank and his eyes got wide as he stumbled back. "WHAT?" he shouted, panicking. "I didn't do that intentionally, tebayo!! I would NEVER HURT SAKURA-CHAN!!"

"Oh, you wont?" Sasuke asked, getting down the iron stairs. "You really are stupid, Naruto. I knew that Tsunade called you to her to tell you something. I'm not dumb, I immediately knew she was going to postpone the mission." He tilted his head. "But that was not what you wanted to hear, was it?"

"You're damn right!" Naruto cried, tears running down his cheeks. "I thought you were my friend! You KNOW I would never hurt Sakura on purpose!!"

Sasuke shook his head. "The real reason for me to threaten you with this has got nothing to do with us being friends, Naruto." And when he looked at Naruto again, his sharingan had been activated, and Naruto froze, staring at the red eyes which were glaring at him in a pretty menacing way. "I do not want to harm the bond between us, Naruto," he said. "I just want you to say the real reason behind our delay. And I want you to shut up…" he stepped closer, and Naruto, immobilized by staring into the sharingan, could do nothing else than glare at him. "about what happened in Suna."

Naruto flinched. He'd already feared Sasuke would recall that. After all, it had been the reason for the dark haired boy to attack him earlier. "…but, Sasuke," he said, still staring in the red sharingan. "…why did you…?"

Sasuke closed his eyes, for them to be back to normal when he opened them again. He placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and suddenly pulled him towards him, hugging him quite harshly.

"OI!" Naruto yelled, not able to keep up with the mood swings of his friend. "What are you DOING?"

"Telling you to shut up about it," Sasuke hissed in Naruto's ear. "It was a mistake. A large mistake."

Naruto stared in front of him. "… a large mistake?" he muttered.

"Exactly." Sasuke let go of him and Naruto stumbled back, shivering even though it wasn't all that cold outside. "A mistake, just like you attacking Sakura when she left."

"Then, if that's the case," Naruto said, his brain slowly making up things. "Why didn't you tell Sakura-chan?"

And then, for the first time since Naruto'd met him, Sasuke looked away and shifted his feet uncomfortably and Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Because I didn't want to hurt her," Sasuke muttered, his voice sounding completely different from before. Then he looked at Naruto again and when he spoke, the sudden softness of before had disappeared again. "So do not speak about it."

Naruto stared bluntly at Sasuke. Pieces were slowly falling together in his already slow mind, but the longer he thought, the clearer it got: Sasuke didn't know how to ask Naruto to stop about it in a friendly way, so the only way to keep his name clear was by threatening him. "You know, tebayo," Naruto said slowly, not looking at Sasuke directly. "You could've just asked me that, instead of scaring me with threats."

And he walked up the stairs, past Sasuke, towards his apartment. He needed time to sleep and think things over, this was too much information at once. "Sasuke," he said when he'd reached his front door and he turned around. "It's okay. Don't make a…"

But the dark haired boy had vanished from the spot, with faint traces of smoke still hanging loosely in the air. Naruto sighed. Typically Sasuke to disappear after telling him something like that! He touched his left eye, which still felt slightly swollen – even though the nine tailed chakra had taken care of a lot of the damage already – and he shook his head.

The next day started sunny, with the sky blue for so far the eye could see. This time, even no white clouds rimmed the horizon, leaving the blue untouched. Naruto took a deep breath as he woke up and then stretched out. Today he had to help Tsunade on the preparations, so that, as soon as the messenger arrived, they could leave immediately.

Several miles distanced from Konoha, and Naruto didn't know that, a young man was already running non stop, his feet thumping on the sand path he used to get to the city. In his left hand he clutched a heavy looking scroll, with fancy jutsu symbols written all over it in a curly handwriting, and around his shoulders hung an empty backpack. He panted as he started to climb up one of the very much hills surrounding Konoha, increasing his grip on the scroll.

He had been carrying it in his backpack, but the feeling of the heavy scroll bumping up and down with every step he took had driven him nuts, forcing him to carry it by hand even though it was nearly as heavy as a large rock…! But, I have no time to slow down, he thought, sweat running down his neck and back in large amounts. I've wasted enough time, right now I need to hurry up! It's light already…

He reached the top and slowed down momentarily, but not for long as his feet started to run on their own again after seeing the city lie in the valley in front of him. Finally, he had gotten over the last hill! Running down was a lot easier and he nearly flew as his speed kept increasing, and he laughed out loud as he jumped in the air and traveled at least ten feet before coming down again. This was nearly flying!

He closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath even though his body needed all the air it could get. Then his feet contacted with the ground again and he opened his eyes, increasing his speed on sheer will, now running so fast that the few people on the path had to jump away in order not to get hit. He heard an old lady scream some shocked threats to him and he put up his free hand, shouting some apologies over his back. He couldn't slow down! He had a delivery to make!

The gates became bigger and bigger as he came closer and closer to the town he'd been desperate to reach for the last four days. When he had left the country of the waves it had been raining, but as the day started to build up he felt the sun burn heavily on his bare shoulders and face, and he was sweating so much that you could see large wet spots on his shirt.

The guards beneath the gate saw him coming and jumped up from their seats, knocking over the small table with two glasses on it in front of him, hurrying towards the gate to meet with the fast running stranger. As soon as the young man reached the gate, he tripped over his own feet and had hit the ground if not one of the guards leapt forwards and caught him just in time, getting him to his feet again after that.

"The scroll," the boy panted, but the guards shook their heads, a puzzled look on both their faces. The messenger couldn't get to speaking and he sank through his knees again, forcing the guards to support him towards the shade.

"You okay?" One of the guards asked, while the other disappeared inside the guard house only to come back out of it with a large glass with some yellow green colored liquid in it. The messenger nodded while leaning back against the tree they had put him against and he sighed. He took the glass gratefully and emptied it in one go, feeling the sour taste of the lemon juice tickle on his tongue.

"What I was saying earlier," the young man spoke, feeling a bit better after the drink and the shadow. "Is about this scroll… it contains information for the Mizukage…"

The guards shared some looks. Then one of them took the scroll from the boy. "I'll take it to the Hokage," he said, looking at the messenger. "I'm sure she'll hand it over to the Mizukage. Is that okay with you?"

The man, unable to argue about it, nodded. "Yeah, that's fine…" and the guard ran off, carrying the scroll with both arms to prevent it from falling. The other guard sat down next to the messenger, taking his empty glass from him, smiling at him.

"So you're the boy from the country of the waves, heh?" he said, more confirming than asking a question. The boy smiled back and nodded.

"Yeah, I am."

The guard stared at him. "Then you ran a long end here!"

This time a smirk appeared on the boy's face. "It sure was. I could've done it faster, though." He paused to take a deep breath, his body still not completely recovered from the long run. "There was some commotion on the border, with people talking about some organization called "Akatsuki", or something like that… they didn't allow me in until they received the written permission of your Hokage." He sighed. "Really. I could only start running as soon as I'd passed the border!"

"But you're earlier than expected. I heard the Hokage talking about a delay of… dunno… about four days."

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Four days? Hey, I'm not THAT slow!"

The other guard, the one carrying the scroll, ran over the still calm streets with a pace that was nearly dangerous. The scroll in his arms felt especially heavy and was still a bit slippy with the messenger's sweat, so he pressed it firmly against his torso, increasing his speed slightly. That that boy carried this scroll the entire way from the country of the waves to here was an extraordinary accomplishment, especially for someone as young as him.

He reached the Hokage building and nearly knocked someone over on his way in, not even bothering saying an apology as he dashed up the spiral stairs in the center of the room, nearly flying up, feeling the muscles in his legs burn as he reached the floor with the Hokage office. He ran towards the Hokage door, knocked once, opened the door and stumbled inside, placing the scroll on the desk with a loud thump. The people in the room, Tsunade, Dotongu, Mizura and Gaara, looked up with a start from their deep conversation, but as soon as Mizura saw the scroll her face lit up.

"Isss thisss the ssscrol from my country?" she asked the guard, who nodded, unable to speak. Tsunade made the link quickly and then nodded to the guard, a smile on her face. "You can go now, thank you very much! Oh, and make sure that the messenger gets a comfortable place to rest. It was surely a long trip." The guard bowed and then left the room, leaving the Kages alone.

"So that's the scroll with the solution?" Gaara asked, showing no clear evidence that he cared. Mizura nodded, placing her slim hand on the jutsu signs, whispering some words to break the jutsus that secured the contains of the scroll, and then it rolled open, revealing some very difficult kanji and a lot of text. Dotongu sighed and Tsunade looked at him.

"Something wrong, Dotongu-san?" she asked, and he nodded while blushing slightly.

"Yeah, er, well, I've never been… eh…" he cleared his throat. "I've never been very good at reading kanjis… hehehe… So if it's not too much of a trouble, would you like to read them out, un?" and he looked at Tsunade with a look that was so begging that Tsunade nearly burst out in laughter. The fact that the Tsuchikage couldn't even read kanjis properly was funny, but having him pleading her to read them out to her like he was a small child really worked in on her laughing muscles…!

"Ah, found it, here they are," Mizura suddenly said, getting the attention of Tsunade and Dotongu back. Gaara showed no sign of hearing whatsoever, but Mizura ignored him and showed Tsunade the passage with the information. "Sssee? There are the glasss chainssss… the type of chakra rock, detailed information, posssssible sssside effects…" she waved with her hand. "The lissst isss ongoing."

Tsunade smiled at her. "Mizura-san," she said, "I do not know how to thank you!"

The Mizukage smiled back at her, a very rare event as she was said to be a very strict and serious woman who nearly never smiled. "Do not thank me already," she said, handing over the scroll to Tsunade. "Read it firssst, and if the information you need isss in there, you can thank me."

Tsunade took the scroll and started reading. "…The glass chains are special. Not is there not only one piece of them, they also contain the strongest binding technique currently known in the world. There does not exist a physical key to these chains, and the technique used to unlock them is very complicated but does nearly never occur, since the chains will automatically unlock as the person being bound dies." She took some time to get air. "Also, there are some strict prohibited ways of using these chains. One: Do not use the chains to chain an animal. It will cause damage to the nerve system of the animal and the chains were not made for that purpose. Two: never use the chains to bind two people to each other. Not only will the binding technique be dangerous for them, the effects can be so deep that the humans in question might tend to kill themselves, which will result in a double kill. For more information, see ad two. Three…" she coughed, her eyes flying over the scroll in order to find the spot.

Gaara got up a bit from his chair, showing interest for the first time since he entered the meeting that morning. They'd actually been arguing about the team to send after Deidara and Sakura the entire night and he'd fairly quickly lost his interest, but now there was actually a part he wanted to hear.

"Ah, found it. Ad two: In order to untie the two people from each other, another technique is used than for the normal usage. This technique needs the full corporation of both the involved human beings or else it will be useless." She stopped talking and glared sideways at Dotongu and Mizura. "I guess that'll be a problem already," she whispered. Dotongu nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We know, un. But for now, better read on and see what it exactly means. Perhaps there's more to it."

Mizura gave her a supporting nod and Tsunade continued talking. "…or else it will be useless. Also another piece of chakra rock will be needed." Her eyes flew over the page. "there are a lot of pictures here," she said slowly, looking at them one by one, placing down the scroll on the desk for everyone to see and rolling it out further. "I guess they show how…" her voice died away as her eye had fallen on the utmost right picture, the last one, with the two people standing next to each other, both hands out in front of them, with no chains on them anymore.

Dotongu let some air escape through his teeth, making a slightly whistling noise, Mizura ran her slim hand through her hair, Gaara fell back in his chair, and Tsunade stood, bowed over the scroll, her arms shaking.

"Is this," she muttered, "the only way to…"

Deidara's cabin, same time as Konoha (three days further) –

"Kisame-san? Kisaaaame, why is it so hooooot?" Tobi tugged Kisame's cloak, complaining in a tone that irrated Kisame to the limits. "Tobi feels sick, Kisame-san! He's hungry, and thirsty, and soooo warm…" and again he tugged Kisame's cloak, now crossing Kisame's already fragile line of self control.

"Will you STOP IT?" he shouted, pushing the boy off him with a bit more power than necessary, catapulting him a few feet away. "I KNOW it's hot, and I'm ALSO hungry and thirsty, but at least I do not complain about it!" he shook his head. "And if ya really want something to drink then go and make yourself useful by finding us some. Here," and he tossed the empty saké bottle towards Tobi, who caught it just before it hit the ground.

"But, but, Kisame-san, Tobi doesn't know where the water is!" Tobi cried, creeping towards Kisame again, holding out the saké bottle like it was the holy grail or something. Kisame sighed deeply, closing his painful eyes for a moment.

"That's the entire idea, you MORON!" he roared, scaring the hell out of Tobi, who nearly flew back with shock. "NOW! YOU GO AND FIND US SOME GODDAMN WATER!"

Tobi nodded quickly, and kept nodding while getting up and then turning around to run away on top speed, holding the bottle against him carefully, disappearing out of sight while yelling: "Tobi will find water for Kisame-san, because Tobi is a very, very good boy!"

Kisame clenched his teeth on each other and then yanked his head back towards the group of trees, staring at them again like he'd done for the past three days. Not only did his eyes hurt, his backside felt numb from sitting the entire time and he was thirsty and hungry like hell. He'd eaten less before, but he hated waiting so much that he simply had to do something to get his mind off the hunger.

He shook his head. What if the group of trees they were staring at were simply a cover for a tomb or something? Cause if that was the case, they could wait forever without the owner showing himself, and when he even thought about that possibility he felt light in the head. He forced himself to concentrate on the trees again and blinked several times, feeling his eyes burn with the dusty heat.

Tobi had checked the genjutsu line but had come back empty handed, except for confirming what they'd already suspected: there were indeed bombs attached to several spots around the line and they had no possibility of getting in at all.

Just when he was about to give up hope and sink away in sleep, he heard a sound and he yanked his head back, staring at the group of trees. He had been in the forest for long enough now to know which sounds belonged here and which ones did not, and the sound he had heard definitely didn't belong here. It had sounded like a squeal, or a yell of disgust, but he couldn't find the source, even when he got up to get a better sight.

"Dammnit," he whispered, realizing that it had probably come from behind the jutsu line, and thus being out of his sight. He got down again and stared at the trees again, even following the movements of the bugs on the plants close to them. Finally, there had been a sign of life coming out of the jutsu protected area, and it was encouraging him to stay where he was, waiting for a trace of life.

The yell he had heard, had indeed been one of disgust, coming from a teenaged and very messed up girl, completely confused by a way too high amount of hormones racing through her blood. And if Kisame had listened very carefully, he could've heard the sound of a lower, male voice shouting something back in a tone that was so obviously irritated that Kisame's arguments with Tobi faded into darkness.

"What's the fucking problem with those jeans?! They're perfectly fine, hmm!"

"No, they're NOT, and I will NOT wear these! Not in a thousand years!!"

Deidara sniffed. He had actually been locked outside his own bedroom, his hand clamped between the door and it's post, with Sakura standing inside, going crazy over things Deidara could not understand. No, he had already concluded that he didn't know a lot of women. But if he had gotten to know one in her monthly period before, he would have gotten to the conclusion that he indeed knew nothing about women. Like, for example, how the obedient, nice and calm hostage he had in his home had frighteningly enough changed into a screaming and constantly panicking monster who screamed, cried and then laughed within the blink of an eye, making Deidara completely confused.

And now she refused to change into a pair of jeans he'd picked for her!

"WHY NOT?!" he shouted back, feeling very irritated. His wrist was starting to hurt from being clamped between the door, and having Sakura tugging the chains with walking around all the time didn't help at all.

"Because they're MEN'S JEANS!!" Sakura roared back, face red with anger. Why didn't he understand how she was feeling?! (actually, I don't think anyone can at the moment) Why didn't he understand that she was going through a harsh time, having to use toilet paper to make sure that the clothes she wore weren't getting bloody all the time? She stared at the jeans on the floor, and then to the belt next to it, a brown with bluish green stripe. Normally she would've liked it, but now she hated everything, especially if it had got something to do with a certain blonde haired person sitting outside of the bedroom.

"Then let me inside so I can help you pick some other ones!!" Deidara cried back desperately, not knowing what to say back. The dresser with clothes was on the other side of the bedroom and Sakura could never reach it with him locked outside. No, in order to reach it, she would have to let him in. he smirked at the mere idea. At the moment, she was probably standing in his bedroom, wearing nothing more than a shirt and some underwear, a desperate look on her pretty face…

But Sakura's shouting voice shook him not completely gently out of his daydream.

"IN YOUR DREAMS, PERV!!"

Deidara flinched. She shouldn't have called him that! But as he stared at the carpet, he felt his neck and his ears burn with red, creeping up his face… he shook his head forcefully, desperate to get the images which were now floating through his mind out of sight. He wasn't very successful.

"Then what DO you want me to do, hmm?!" He yelled in a lame attempt to keep the conversation going. He had the faint idea that she might rip his arm of in an attempt to reach the dresser with clothes if he didn't continue speaking, and as he felt her tug the chains slightly, he felt sweat dripping down his back.

"…I don't know! Just… just DON'T come in!"

She had already tried to get to the jeans, but it had proven to be way too far for her to reach, even when she went on tiptoes and hung fully on his arm, knowing that she was straining his muscles to the edge, feeling her own wrist hurt as well. "dammnit," she hissed through clenched teeth before looking around her, towards the door. Then she sighed. Even though she felt confused and a bit dizzy, she knew that she would simply have to let him in. There were actually two choices: One, let him in and get a good pair of jeans with the chance that he peeks, and two: do not let him in and be forced to wear the ugly jeans he had offered her.

She looked from the jeans on the floor to the door, back to the jeans, then to her own bare legs, and then she hung her shoulders. She had no other choice. Wearing the jeans he'd given her was absolutely out of the question, so…

"…okay then, I'll let you in."

Deidara's face lit up. "You do, hmm?" he asked, quickly wiping away all the evidence of happiness of his face and trying to get up already.

"Yeah, I do, but on ONE condition…"

He heard footsteps and then he could vaguely see her face through the small gap between the door and the wall. "No. Peeking. You understand?"

He blinked and then wove with his hand, saying 'of course I do!', but Sakura obviously didn't trust him as she pulled the chains by stepping back from the door again, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"And let me remind you that I can feel it whenever you're peeking."

Deidara hung his head.

Then the door opened. The blood in his wrist started to flow again and he rubbed it absentmindedly while getting up, his eyes focused strictly to the floor, following every single line in the carpet he could find. "Okay, now stay like that," Sakura said, and Deidara looked up for a moment, seeing her bare feet and ankles standing on his carpet, before looking down again, blushing fanatically. He clenched his eyes shut.

_Stop it, Deidara. You're driving yourself crazy, hmm. Whatever way you turn it, thinking these things will definitely not help you…_

"What jeans were you talking about anyway?" he asked while they shuffled towards the dresser very slowly, testing Deidara's self control, which seemed to be harder than he had imagined. They stopped in front of the dresser and Sakura got something out, before hanging it in front of his face.

"This one."

Deidara's eyes flew open. The trousers she'd chosen were nothing less than the jeans he favored most, and also the ones he hadn't worn in years since he joined the Akatsuki. He blinked and then suddenly, Sakura wove her hand in front of his face, getting his attention. "You all right?" she asked, getting the jeans out of his sight again. "You kinda spaced out, you know."

Deidara didn't know what to answer. The pair of jeans had brought up memories of the time before the Akatsuki, the time in which he used to live calmly and secure under the caretaking of the Tsuchikage…

"Okay, you can look again!"

His gaze went up and then traveled over two legs, put in his own jeans – which were way too large for her – and then to one of his own shirts – also too big – to Sakura's head, which was smiling at him. "Could be worse, couldn't it?" she asked, turning around slightly for as far as the chains allowed them, showing him how the jeans fit her backside. Deidara swallowed. Was she doing this on purpose?

"N-no," he muttered, determined to keep up with his bad guy role. "I think it looks bad on you, hmm. Really, nothing ever looks."

That was mean. He felt something shoot right through the pit of his stomach and then to his forehead, making his head turn red with embarrassment. He looked away from her pouting face, face still flushed red, a stubborn look on his face. He didn't want to admit that, indeed, the idea of Sakura wearing his clothes actually turned him on slightly. One way or another, they were hostage and hostage taker. They were in no position to become friends – or more.

"That wasn't very nice of you."

Deidara froze. _Oh no. Was that… _he yanked his head back to Sakura and his fear became truth. Her face was red with anger and a vein was pulsating dangerously in her neck, giving her a very, very pissed off look. His eyes widened. _A mood swing again!_

Suddenly she stepped forwards, pressing him against the wall with one arm, pushing him slightly in the air by sheer force, feeling the pressure of her arm on his cheek as if she was doing the same thing to herself. "I'm no longer the obedient hostage you take me for," she hissed right in his face, ignoring the suffocating feeling in her throat. And then, suddenly, the expression on her face softened and she leaned in further, bringing her mouth close to his ear. "What were you planning on doing with me anyway, bringing me here, and not to your fellow Akatsuki friends?" she chuckled. "You are indeed a naughty boy…!"

Deidara didn't know how he had it. She was doing this on purpose, he could feel it and hear it clearly as it echoed through her head, but that didn't help the feeling that rose up inside of him. And it wasn't very comforting to the fact that she was actually suffocating him.

"And why should you care, hmm?" he snapped back, trying to stay in his role. "You don't have any right on even knowing what I might be planning. Not even the slightest bit." He laughed even though it hurt his throat. "you're unbelievably stupid if you think that I might even have planned something with you, hmm!"

He expected her to react angrily, shocked, or at least scared or hurt, but neither of that happened as she chuckled softly again and shook her head, suddenly dropping him to the ground, allowing the air to run through his airway normally again. "I didn't say you planned anything, did I?" Sakura said, her voice teasing him to the edge. "I said you might have had plans, like, hearing me out here, and then bring me to the Akatsuki…" she smirked. "But seemingly, I was wrong."

Deidara blushed. "What are you talking about, huh?" he shouted, feeling his self control slip through his fingers faster than water. "Why do you even think you can talk to me like that, hmm? What makes you think that I wont hurt you?"

This time Sakura laughed out loud and before Deidara could react, she had suddenly placed her lips on his and kissed him swiftly, retreating so fast that the event nearly didn't even happen. He stared at her face, completely silenced, and Sakura's grin got even wider.

"That's exactly what makes me think you wont."

…**what to say? Ehh, review if you like, also tell me about things you didn't like or things you think I should add, because I'm going to start on the next chapter now! **

**-Shabaku**


	22. Closing in the gaps

**Tadaaahh! FINALLY! This, my dear readers (:3) is the LAST and FINAL chapter of stick with me! Finished it a while ago, sorry for forgetting to post it hope you not mad at me!**

**But, enough talked, enough said, here is the last chapter of stick with me, and I really hope you like it :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Chapter twenty-one: Closing in the gaps**

"Is this…" Tsunade panted, while hanging over the scroll, "really the only solution? Mizura-san? What is this?"

The Mizukage shook her head, her eyes wide open, staring at the wall on the opposite direction. "I really don't know, Tsssunade-ssan," she whispered, massaging her temples, a sad expression plastered on her face, making her at least ten years older. "I thought there would be a common solution… but…"

Tsunade angrily smacked her fist on the desk – her fourth desk, to be exact – and panted with anger. This was… just too bad to deal with. That they waited the entire end, just to hear that...

Suddenly Dotongu cleared his throat. Tsunade looked behind her, irritated by the bad news, but as soon as she saw his troubled face she calmed down and she gave him a worried look. "Dotongu-san?" she asked, and Mizura and Gaara both got up slightly, interested why the Tsuchikage looked so troubled.

"Well, er," he rubbed his forehead. "I, eh, do not know what it said, un. I… couldn't read it properly, I'm afraid," and he laughed apologetically, blushing extremely deep. Somehow this lightened the mood a bit and Tsunade shook her head, but with a faint smile on her lips.

"Really," she said towards Mizura. "That a guy like that can become a Tsuchikage…" and Mizura giggled, placing her hand in front of her mouth to remain calm and silent, but she failed miserably. But then Tsunade got serious again. "The fact is, Dotongu-san, that this scroll only contains information on releasing two humans of the same sex. So that means, we only know how to release two women or two men." She sighed. "For some weird reason, up until now, no one ever tried or accidentally chained a man and a woman to each other. What means that we're still in the dark."

Dotongu nodded, eyes a bit dull, staring in front of him. "That is indeed," he muttered, "a problem." He looked at Tsunade. "Then how are we going to do this?"

Tsunade shrugged. She felt powerless, helpless but above all very desperate. She already had an idea how Naruto would react if she told him they still had no solution. She shook her head, burying it in her hands. "I really don't know, Dotongu, Mizura, Gaara… The only thing I can think of, is that we do this the old fashioned way."

Mizura and Dotongu shared looks while Gaara looked away, bored again. "And that means…?" Dotongu asked, wanting to know exactly what Tsunade was thinking. The blonde woman looked up, stared at the wall and then spoke.

"That means that we simply have to cut them loose." She looked behind her. "And that may cause the death of both ninja, we don't know." Her voice shook a bit at the end of the sentence, but she didn't want to break anymore. She had to keep her grip on the situation. She couldn't space out anymore, like when she ran over the street merely wearing her pajamas. That was out of the question. "But for as far as I can see, there's nothing more we can do."

the woods –

There was a movement, behind the trees. Kisame's head, which had been hanging dangerously low, suddenly snapped up as he noticed the movement in the corner of his eye, and his jaw dropped to the floor. The bushes rustled and then a very familiar blonde head, followed by an also familiar pink one, came into sight. The pink haired girl followed the blonde in inches, and again the light fell on the chains, making the glassy surface sparkle in the hot sunlight. Kisame rubbed his eyes and then opened them again, just to make sure that he wasn't dreaming and that it was no illusion – but pure reality.

He looked left and right, but Tobi had still not returned from getting the water, and when he looked back, he saw that the two people he'd been waiting for were now actually moving towards the same direction Tobi had left off to. He smacked his head, clenching his jaws on each other. He could already image what Tobi would do as his sempai came walking up to him… he'd probably shout something like: "SEMPAI!", dash towards him, embrace him – even though Kisame didn't want to think about that for too long – and then he would probably get kicked by the pink girl for getting too close, blowing the surprise attack.

He sighed. Another problem was already forming in his head. They had found them, that was true, but now what? They were still chained together, and he wasn't clever enough to come up with a solution on his own, so in fact they were not very much further than he'd been three days ago. He got up from the floor and followed Deidara and Sakura on a short distance, keeping silent with every movement, looking out for Tobi and hoping that he would notice the boy earlier than the couple in front of him.

_Perhaps, _he thought while staring at the chains, which seemed the only fragile point in the their connection, _Perhaps I can just cut them loose… _he frowned. He knew it was risky – he was at least clever enough for that – but what else could he do? He shook his head. There was no other option than to just risk it and see what happened.

at Konohagakure's gates –

the team that had gathered stared at each other with sleepy eyes. None had really slept well because of the heat, except for Naruto who looked as energetic as always, trying to cheer everyone up. When Tsunade told him they had no solution, his face had fell and he had nearly cried out loud, but as soon as she told him that they were now going after them and try to simply cut them loose – a much simpler plan and easier for Naruto to understand – all the energy he'd been saving for the last couple of days burst out and he'd jumped into the air, yelling of happiness.

They were finally going after Sakura!

Kiba and Neji had to search for the two, Naruto, Sasuke and Sai where the sheer power forces and also the team's trump card, and there was Shikamaru, the brain behind the team's movement. And of course there was a medical supporting team, but that would stay behind a bit so that, if Deidara gathered the Akatsuki, they could heal the wounded without being targeted themselves. Naruto looked left and right, then towards Shikamaru, and grinned widely.

"Anou sa, anou sa, Shikamaru, aren't we going yet? Everyone's here, right? Right?" he asked, jumping from one foot to another, unable to keep still. Shikamaru sighed.

"Temee. You're so troublesome. Look around you: Yamato-sensei isn't here yet. And Tsunade-sama told me explicitly to wait for him." He raised an eyebrow. "I don't know why, really. For as far as I can see, this team is complete." He sighed. "Well, I guess Tsunade-sama must've had her reasons for it, even though it is troublesome to have to wait for him."

Just when Naruto was about to start an argue about why they didn't just leave and ignored Tsunade's orders, a voice made him look behind, seeing Yamato jumping off the repaired gate, landing smoothly next to them. He got up and smiled at them, placing a hand next to his head to greet them. "Konnichi wa," he said. "Sorry I'm late; Life held me up, I had to help an old lady to cross the street so…."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Are you starting on those lame excuses as well, yamato-sensei? Just explain why you were late and kept us waiting!"

"Calm down dobe," Sasuke hissed, his eyes focused on the horizon. "Right now, you're the one actually slowing us down." Then he looked at Naruto, and even though the others couldn't see, Naruto saw that his eyes sparkled with a hidden smile, just to tell that he didn't really mean any harm.

Naruto sniffed before turning to Shikamaru again. "Then we can go now?"

The team was build up very well. In the front were Kiba and Neji, followed directly by Sasuke, then Shikamaru, and then Naruto and Sai to close the row. They moved fast and nearly soundless through the forests, while Akamaru leaded them on a faint trace of smell that was still left.

"Oy, Kiba!" Naruto yelled, trying to get the boy's attention. He turned around slightly, his slim pupils staring at the blonde. "Nani?"

"How is it possible that there is a scent of them here?"

Kiba raised an eyebrow. He hadn't suspected Naruto of all of them to ask the question they've probably all been thinking up to now: Deidara and Sakura traveled through air, so then there shouldn't be any trace of scent left on the ground, right…? But no one dared to ask, knowing that Kiba wouldn't lead them to the wrong direction, and Neji didn't complain, so…

"To be very honest, I don't know for sure," Kiba said, accepting his defeat. "But what I'm sure about is that this scent is not older than four days, and as it matches Deidara's scent nearly completely, I guess this is the best way to go." He looked next to him. "Neji, do you see them already?"

The boy with the Byakugan shook his head. "Not yet. But I'm focusing on the close around area, not very far in front of us, so they might be a bit further away, just out of my sight."

woods –

Deidara was walking rather fast, leaving Sakura stumbling behind him. She didn't dare to say anything. Back there, in the cabin, she'd probably said something wrong as she tried to hear him out about why he didn't bring her to the hideout immediately, because he'd pushed her off him and then started to walk straight outside, leaving no room for questions and no room for Sakura to even hesitate on following. As soon as they'd gotten outside she'd tried to escape, but he'd given her one very menacing look and she'd ceased her attempts and decided to follow him.

_Getting into a fight is probably not the best thing to do now, _she thought as she stared at the back of his head, wondering what he might be thinking. _But I really need to get away from here… _she looked left and right, but the trees and the open spots between them didn't look familiar in any single way, signing that she'd indeed never been here before.

She cleared her throat. Her tummy was aching badly, but even though that mostly signed the period was nearly over, she couldn't feel glad about it. The last couple of days had been one wild ride of hormones, strange and useless conversations and a complete new tension hanging between them. Yeah, he was her captor, and yea, she was his hostage – but strangely enough she didn't feel any different from being in Konoha. Just like she'd been captured there. So being captured here didn't make any difference.

"…um…"

He didn't stop walking. But she felt a slight change in his emotion pattern, and she hoped that it signed that he was willing to listen to her, perhaps even answer. She collected all her courage, fearing an outbreak, and then continued speaking.

"Where are we going, exactly…?"

He didn't turn his head around. "You don't know the place, hmm. It has no use telling you." And as his emotions became dark again, Sakura feared the worse;

If she'd angered him back there, chances were he was going to take her to the Akatsuki and then let their leader – or whatever they had, Sakura supposed they weren't just acting on their own – open the chains. She shivered. And after that, they'd probably kill her. And he would stand there and watch.

"You're not going to die."

His voice startled her. He still hadn't looked behind him. Then he suddenly stopped walking and she bumped against his back, quickly stepping a step back, afraid what he might do after the contact. But he remained as impassive as stone, staring at something in front of them which she couldn't see as he stood in her way of sight.

Then he turned his head to look at her, and against the light coming from behind him, his eyes stood out even bluer than they'd already been, giving Sakura the chills as she stared into them.

"I guess we're far away enough now," he muttered as he turned around completely, now facing her. Sakura took a nervous step back, uncertain of what he meant by that, sending her chakra to all directions to see if there were spectators – but there weren't any. They were all alone. In a dark spot of the forest, with only light coming from an undefined source coming from behind Deidara, probably a hole in the ceiling of leaves surrounding them.

He raised his chained wrist. "These chains," he spoke, and his voice made shivers run down her spine. "had more effects than I'd ever imagined. I thought they would kill me, kill you, or at least make my life more miserable than I'd ever imagined." He laughed sourly and Sakura shivered. She didn't know what to think of it. Why did he start about that again?

"even Tobi, I thought, that idiot," he continued, a pleased undertone in his voice, "would make better company. But I got proved wrong." He stepped closer. "And in the end, even though I sometimes feel the urge to cut off your throat…"

Sakura swallowed nervously.

"Those chains turned out to be…" and he placed a hand on her cheek. "…the best thing that ever happened to me, hmm."

Sakura stared bluntly at him. What he had just said could be taken as a declaration of what he felt towards her, but that was the entire point: hadn't he said that he didn't feel anything for her? Hadn't he abducted her and then held her hostage in a small cramped cabin? And what had caused this sudden change in behavior?

And as she stared in his eyes, another question rose up inside of her, and she felt her heart beat fast as he smiled weakly, probably ashamed of telling her this. She felt happy – happier than before, than ever before, but what would the reason to that be…?

He opened his mouth to say something, and Sakura's entire being got focused on it, feeling in some weird way that whatever he was going to say was the thing she'd been waiting on for the last three weeks – heck, perhaps her entire life – and he said:

"Sakura, I…"

An enormous explosion, not too far away from them, blew the words away and they spun on the spot, seeing a large dark cloud of smoke rising up behind the trees. Color swept out of Deidara's face and Sakura stared at the dark cloud, slowly realizing that it was coming from the direction they just left. What meant that the cottage had miraculously exploded.

She looked at Deidara, a pleading look on her face. She wanted to know what he was going to say so badly that she thought he might find it more important too, but as their eyes met she only saw anger burning in the blue, which had been so soft nearly minutes ago…

He grabbed her wrist and pulled it softly, starting to run towards the cloud and Sakura followed him. "What happened?" she yelled while they ran through the woods, jumping over fallen trees and sprinting through a field where the trunks stood so close to each other that there was nearly not enough space to let through the two chained people.

"Someone tried to enter my home, hmm," he grumbled, a furious expression on his face which slowly turned into a smirk and Sakura already felt a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach before he'd even spoken the words. "But whoever did is by now blown to pieces," and he looked over his shoulder. "let's hope it weren't your Konoha friends, shall we?"

Sakura frowned. She didn't know how to react to that as his voice didn't have a sarcastic undertone, but she couldn't imagine that he really meant what he had said, so she just gave him a puzzled look. He sighed and then looked in front of him again as they'd reached the open spot where his cottage stood. Sakura gasped as they left the close trees and they landed, gaping at the scene.

Where once the group of trees had been was now a large crater, with burnt pieces of wood and other debris scattered to far into the surrounding woods. The cottage was nowhere to be seen and as Sakura was about to say that she actually felt sorry for him, he let out a sigh of relief and said; "Well, at least the shield kept the blows from destroying the cottage, hmm. Heh. I chose exactly the right dose…"

Then he realized Sakura was staring at him and he blushed faintly before looking away. "Ahum. Now, let's see who tried to break in, hmm." And they started to walk forwards. Deidara didn't watch his surroundings at all, merely focused on the ground, probably searching for small pieces of human, while Sakura sent out her chakra, eager to see if there might have been someone who survived. But as she saw the destroyed landscape, she got rather skeptical about that.

Suddenly Deidara stopped walking and Sakura got pulled back by the chains. She stopped as well and then turned around, raising one eyebrow. He didn't look at her but took another step back, and then Sakura felt waves of fear and nerves coming from the blonde. As she looked up to his face she saw that his cheeks were nearly colorless and there were several drops of sweat visible on his forehead. She gulped.

"Oh no," she heard him mutter. "No, this wont happen to me again, hmm. You stinking little…" suddenly he looked up to her and she blinked. She had absolutely no idea what he was talking about and now stared with a rather dumb face at Deidara, who sweat dropped, not knowing that Sakura could look as stupid like that.

Then suddenly Sakura noticed too. There was a massive amount of chakra nearby, really enormous, and so big that she wondered how she could have missed it on her first scan of the area. But just as she had focused it on one spot, it suddenly disappeared, and then it seemed to come from everywhere! "What is that?" she yelled, turning her back to Deidara who did the same, both feeling their connection go up a level as adrenaline soared right through their veins.

"That fricking snaky boyfriend of yours, hmm!" Deidara shouted back, and Sakura could nearly feel the muscles in his back tense. She gasped. Could this possible be Sasuke? Was he strong enough to perform such a large genjutsu?

She didn't have time to think about that any longer. The ground in front of her feet burst open and an enormous snake shot in the air. Sakura screeched and stumbled back, only to be caught by Deidara in time. He jumped back to a safe distance while the snake landed on the ground again, and Sakura got the chance to see that its scales were a deep dark color, sparkling in the hot sunlight. She noticed sweating heavily when Deidara put her down and when she looked at him she saw that is entire face was one big mad emotion, with his eyebrows nearly touching each other.

Then the snake let out a hissing sound, so loud that Sakura clapped her hands over her ears and she stared at it, immobilized by it's size as it was HUGE. She guessed that it would be large enough to wrap itself at least two times around the Hokage building, and when it opened it's beak and showed a pair of very big, long, white and very sharp looking fangs, she stumbled back, feeling the sweat stand in her palms.

"Calm down, hmm, you're giving me the chills," Deidara said, not looking at her but focusing at the snake, following it's movements. "Think about this! It cannot be Orochimaru, that drag queen, since he is already…" he raised an eyebrow. "What are you laughing at?"

Sakura couldn't help it. She was so nervous that she couldn't stop the hysterical bursts of laughter coming out of her throat. But the way he had just said "drag queen" had seemingly unleashed the nerves in her stomach, causing her to laugh like this…

"Sumimasen… eheh, hahaha!"

"Sakura."

she froze in the middle of a laugh as she heard the dark, smooth voice, and she stared at her feet, not realizing it to it's full content. She heard Deidara next to her sniff. "See. I was right, hmm." She glared sideways at Deidara, who scowled at the person he was talking about, not facing her. "Your _boyfriend _has arrived, hmm."

Then Sakura turned her head slowly towards the snake again, her eyes growing wide as she saw him standing in the wide opened beak of the snake: dark hair, waving on the gentle breeze, a pale but completely smooth skin, and blood red eyes with the oh so familiar black dots circling around the center pupil. Sasuke Uchiha stood there, no harm done, looking cocky but handsome as always, and Sakura couldn't help but flinch. That there was the boy she had seen as her boyfriend for nearly a year time. Seeing him, especially while having to stick so close to Deidara, made her sweat lightly with nerves.

Then, and her eyes grew even wider, another person came crawling out of the snake's throat, covered with slime, wiping it off as he stood, and opening his eyes immediately after that, showing the nearly white irises with no visible pupils, but with veins pulsating around the eyes threateningly and showing another gekkai genkai.

Sharingan and Byakugan stared at green and blue. Both parties didn't move an inch, until Sasuke repeated what he had said earlier. "Sakura." He locked his eyes to hers and Sakura felt cold sweat run down her back. "Sakura. Come." And he put out his hand, asking her wordlessly to come to him and to go back to Konoha. She started to shiver and tremble, her heartbeat increased and her breathing slowly went out of control. Next to her, Deidara noticed.

"Don't look in his eyes you stupid, hmm," he hissed. "He'll hypnotize you! Stop looking!"

But the harm was already done. Sakura couldn't possible look another way. The red was so… so intimidating, yet so trustful. She had to keep staring into those eyes, feeling that she was slowly loosing the control she had over her body, feeling that he slowly took over what was left of her fragile self. She took a step and Deidara grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back, turning her towards him and thus breaking the contact.

"I said: do not look in his eyes! What do you think you are, stupid or something, hmm?"

Sakura stared dully at him, her body feeling numb. "He's my friend," she said with a monotone voice, still acting on the effects of the sharingan's genjutsu even though she didn't have direct contact anymore. "I trust him. You are an enemy. I do not trust you. I should go to my friend."

And she freed herself from his grip and took another step towards Sasuke, who started to smile as she got closer. Next to him, Neji's eyes were dazzling all over the area, scanning every square inch, not even missing a single bug buzzing over a bush. "Neji," Sasuke whispered, his lips merely moving, hoping he would be able to get Sakura far enough forwards. "Is Naruto nearly ready?"

Neji nodded, also nearly invisible. "Sakura needs to take…" his eyes flew to the area in front of Sakura's feet. "…four more steps for Naruto to be precise. Shikamaru is in the bushes behind them to immobilize them as soon as they reach the best spot. Sai and Yamato reside on the left and right to catch them if they try to flee." He didn't remove his eyes from the spot, as he slowly added. "…three more steps."

Sasuke smiled even more. This was way easier than he had thought. They had followed the track until it ended somewhere around here, and then it spread all out to several directions. But thanks to Neji, they were able to find the genjutsu shield and the cottage inside of it, quickly coming to the conclusion that this must've been the spot they ran off to. But they weren't there, and to get their attention, they decided to detonate the bombs that secured the area – which had been another hint that it was indeed a cottage of the Akatsuki member – and their plan had worked out pretty nicely.

Sakura took another step. Deidara ran next to her and then in front of her, grabbing both her shoulders, shaking her thoroughly to break through the jutsu, but it was useless. "Let go of me," Sakura muttered. "I need to go to my friend."

Deidara panicked. Inside, he knew he should've gone to seek contact with the Akatsuki way sooner, just to let them know he was still alive. He didn't know what had held him back, and he didn't want to know too. There was just no way he would get captured this easily again. No fricking way. His eyebrows nearly touched each other as he pushed Sakura back, getting a completely emotionless look from her but ignoring that. He turned around and then put his free hand in the clay bag attached to his belt, scowling at Sasuke and Neji.

"Hey! You there! Yeah, you there, with your ugly red eyes and your damned cocky attitude about that clan of yours, hmm!" he smirked at the menacing look he received. "Did you really think you could get me so easily, huh? And you too," and this time he looked at Neji, who remained impassive. "I wont give up this easily… !" he pulled his hand out of the clay bag and molded the clay in the fraction of a second to birds only to throw them in the air and form a seal. The birds poofed to real size and then flew with an incredible speed towards Sasuke and Neji, who saw them coming but were not fast enough to dodge them.

Sasuke formed seals for his chidori and then yelled: "CHIDORI DETONATION!" and electric shockwaves went through the air, missing Neji in inches but hitting the birds full. They exploded at least ten yards away from the snake's head, and Sasuke smirked, clenching his fists. "You used that last time too, temee," he said, his voice not even showing any emotion. Then he got more serious. "It won't work on me."

Deidara smirked. He kept Sakura on her spot as she still tried to walk towards Sasuke with one arm while his other had already formed a seal. "Then you should take a look beneath you, hmm, you idiot!" he shouted and his pupil shrank momentarily. "Katsu!"

Sasuke realized too late what was happening and then an enormous explosion tore the air apart. A large flower of fire bloomed in the centre of the already formed crater and Deidara laughed maniacally, letting go of Sakura, determined to enjoy the show. "Hahaha! You see? My art _always wins, hmm!"_

Then Sakura snapped out of it and she stumbled forwards, bumping against a still laughing Deidara, who was forced to take a step forwards too and turned around, glaring at her. "And you?" he shouted, eyes still wide open, kind of hysterical. "now you cant go to that friend of yours anymore, hmm!"

Sakura stared at him and when she saw the smoke, already clearing away, her mind made the connection. An anger redder than blood filled her veins and she started to shake as her eyes slowly grew wider and wider. "You killed him," she whispered, nearly breathless, and he smirked. She repeated it. "You killed him." She took a step back, and she tugged the chains as she reached the limit of how far she could go. "You actually…"

A loud cracking noise made her last words get lost and within the blink of an eye, Naruto launched himself from out of the ground, a kunai held in front of him, aiming for their chains which hung tensed between them, shouting: "Ikusou, tebayo!"

Time froze. Sakura had no time to react nor did Deidara, all they could do was watch their inevitable fate coming closer with every inch Naruto flew more in the air. Sakura and Deidara's eyes met as they thought exactly the same, on the exact same moment, with exactly the same emotion behind it.

This was going to be the end. This was going to be it, there was no doubt about it. Strangely enough they both simply felt that the chains would break if Naruto hit them with the kunai like that. Then, moments before the blade of the kunai, sharpened with Naruto's wind chakra, hit the chains, Sakura saw the events of the past weeks fly in front of her eyes. She remembered laughing with him, quarreling with him, being close to him and kissing him – and when the blade hit the chains and nearly cut them, she closed her eyes and felt a teardrop run down her cheek. Now it would be over.

A white flash illuminated the scene so much that Deidara was forced to close his eyes, while Naruto kept staring at the point where hit kunai hit the blade. He could clearly see that he was indeed making an incision, and that the blade was also slowly sinking through the glass like it was fluid. Wind started to blow around them as Naruto'd nearly cut them and Sakura opened her eyes as a shot of pain went right up through her left arm to her torso and then to her entire body, and she gasped as she looked into Deidara's eyes one more time before Naruto went right through the glass and the chains snapped.

For a moment, they all hung still in the air, staring at the two loose edges, and then another explosion blew them all away to other directions. Sakura screamed of fear and pain and she could vaguely hear Deidara yell as well, but she didn't have time to anticipate to that as she hit a tree hard and she coughed up blood. The next thing she knew was that a wall of wind hit her so full that her head nearly got glued to the tree trunk and she lost the ability to breathe, and then she fell on the floor, her entire body trembling so badly that she couldn't move, panting so heavily that she could feel every inhalation as if her entire body did it.

Things had went so fast that her mind, dizzy because of the blow her head had received minutes ago, couldn't make up what to do. She felt extremely empty, like something was missing, something she had gotten used to in the last couple of weeks, and as she felt another tear drip down her nose towards the ground, the name of the person that was no longer there appeared in front of her still closed eyes.

Deidara was gone.

Strong hands picked her up from the floor and then she got pulled against a warm body of someone she couldn't see. Her eyes still didn't work properly and they burnt whenever she opened them, as well as her left wrist which felt so hot that she thought it was on fire. The person who carried her turned around half and yelled something, but to her own surprise, her ears didn't receive the sound completely, like she was half deaf.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist and then the person who carried her jumped up in the trees, and she felt the air rush around them. When they landed on a nearby tree, something snapped inside of her, something clicked, she couldn't describe it. But immediately after that she felt sinking away in the softness of unconsciousness.

"…understand completely, you let Kisame take him away without even making an attempt on stopping him? Do you know how dangerous that is, Naruto? He might have all kind of important information about our city's defenses or about the ANBU here! And besides, I thought Yamato resided on that spot to catch them if they tried to escape!"

"Demou, Tsunade-baachan, I thought that getting Sakura-chan back was more important and I thought she was going to die if I let her lie there any longer, tebayo. And Yamato-sensei got blown away by the explosion so he wasn't there in time." She heard him sigh. "In fact, no one could've reached him in time. That blue Akatsuki guy appeared out of nothing, together with a smaller one with an orange mask, and they grabbed that blonde off the ground to take him with them…"

Sakura heard all, lying in a comfortable and warm bed, the blanket pulled up to her chin and her eyes still closed, breathing steadily and calm. She had woken up merely minutes ago, but she didn't feel like opening her eyes at all, knowing that she would start to cry if she did. She could merely move in her total wrapped up body and every small movement hurt very badly, but as a medic, she knew she was out of life danger and that she would get better pretty soon if she kept her rest.

She felt happy for being home again. For being away from the forest and close back to her friends, to Naruto and Tsunade. And boy, she had been extremely happy when she'd heard that Sasuke and Neji had indeed escaped the explosions in time by warping through time, thanks to Sasuke's Sharingan. And she was happy for getting all kind of new furniture for in her apartment and all the presents she received.

"Ah, Sakura-chan! You're awake!"

She smiled weakly even though it hurt and she opened her eyes more. Naruto always noticed whenever her eyes went open, even for the tiniest bit, and this was no exception. He sat next to her, on a wooden chair, with Tsunade standing behind him, a slightly apologetic smile on her tired looking face. "Do you need something to eat, Sakura? Or something to drink?" Naruto asked, grinning widely, rocking backwards and forwards slightly.

"..drink… nice…" Sakura muttered. Her voice still hadn't recovered from screaming so loud after the explosion, but Tsunade had assured her that it shouldn't take any longer.

"Yosh! I'll get it for you, you wait here!"

Sakura rolled her eyes towards Tsunade, who laughed softly before sitting down on the now empty chair, placing a hand on Sakura's forehead.

"Sakura," she whispered, cautious for when Naruto might come back. "…if there's something you want to tell me, tomorrow, today, or whenever you feel like it," she smiled assuring. "Just go ahead and spit it out, because I know how good you are in keeping it all in, but that is not what you should do now." She stroke the girl's forehead and hair and as Sakura stared at her tears ran down the sides of her head and she quickly closed her eyes.

"You really loved him, didn't you…?" Tsunade asked, pulling Sakura close to her, rubbing her back while Sakura slowly started to cry harder.

She did. She absolutely loved him. And even all the happiness in the world couldn't take away the awful pain in the pit of her stomach whenever her mind even touched memories of them being together. She opened her eyes to look outside the window while she clang onto Tsunade, her body shaking with silent tears.

_Somewhere out there, _she thought, her eyesight getting blurry with tears. _Will he be like this too? Will he also feel this miserable, locked up inside, no sky to escape to…_

She swallowed.

_Will I ever… see him again…?_

**Phew. It's done. It's now officially done. My folks will probably be happy too, since I used night hours to write and I walked around the house like a zombie because of the lack of sleep :P But, anyways, please review, tell me what you think of it, what you didn't like, what you still wanna hear…! **

**Thanks ever so much to everyone who reviewed on the story, reading those always make my day! I thoroughly hope you enjoyed reading this.**

**-Shabaku**


End file.
